


Move On Back To Me

by PwoperNinjaElf



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Friendship, Kissing, Laughter, Light Angst, M/M, Reconciliation, Smut, Spring, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-03 02:31:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 41,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6593011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PwoperNinjaElf/pseuds/PwoperNinjaElf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis Tomlinson had moved on, made a new life for himself in London as a successful solicitor, so why now did his past have to resurface after all this time. Despite the years that have gone by, a ridiculous growth spurt and an obnoxious man bun, he would still be able to recognise Harry Styles anywhere, even if it just so happened to be in his office’s kitchen making tea. </p><p>A lawyer AU, featuring reluctant case partners, hurt feelings, a footie team that can’t seem to catch a break and a misunderstanding, but ultimately a plan for love to win out, along with the help of some good friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Move On Back To Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [certainsadness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/certainsadness/gifts).



> This is my first time taking part in an exchange, but I really had an unexpected blast working on this, despite hitting a few walls along the way. I really hope certainsadness is happy with the result, even if there aren't really that many court scenes, I'm so sorry! I also kinda made it enemies to friends to lovers instead, as well as added in some (very background) Ziam, hope that’s okay.
> 
> I must also apologise in advance for the liberties I've taken with the English law system and despite all the research I tried to do into this particular area of law, I do not doubt there are many flaws to my version, as I found it all to be rather confusing and the system is different to my own country's. I hope you don't mind too much. 
> 
> I also just want to say a massive thank you to my dear friends V and E, for all their help and support. 
> 
> I should also then just point out that this is naturally just a work of fiction and that no offense was intended, however, the story and characters are mine. It's all just meant to be fun and I hope you enjoy!

Louis was confident in his abilities as one of the undoubtedly more talented solicitors in the game at the moment and boasted some pretty damn fine credentials from one of the top ten elite law schools in the UK. So when he arrived at work to hear that there was new competition in the firm, he wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.

“You hear there’s a new guy? Some hotshot in environmental law,” Niall said in greeting to Louis when he strode into the offices Monday morning. “He’s also done a few high-profile cases.”

“Oh? Liam and Zayn must really have been serious about expanding the firm’s specialties,” Louis shrugged, putting down his laptop bag as the blond followed him into his office.

“Yeah, guess we have some more competition then… feeling threatened?” Niall asked, leaning against the doorway as Louis got his things set up.

“From the new bloke? Nah, you’re my biggest threat, Nialler.”

“Best believe it,” Niall grinned, Louis shrugging out of his suit jacket and draping it over the back of his chair.

“Oh, I most certainly do; I’ve got my eye on you,” Louis assured him, lightly running his hands carefully over his immaculate quiff of toffee-brown hair, before then adjusting his tie.

“Louis, mate, you look fine, everything’s in order. Honestly,” Niall laughed, shaking his head at his friend. “One would think you were trying to impress someone, maybe the newbie even!”

Louis just laughed and wiggled his eyebrows, playing along, resulting in even more pink-faced giggles from Niall. “Hey, who knows, maybe he’s a looker? Or maybe it’s all part of my nefarious plans to seduce and distract, so as to leave any future promotions free for my own taking.”

“Louis! You wouldn’t try and seduce me though, right? You’ll fight me fair, we’ve been mates since we were both fresh-faced and new to the firm!”

Louis just grinned and shrugged before walking past Niall, the blond’s face most definitely a bright shade of pink from all their silly laughter, a trait his fair skin often gave way to.

“C’mon, you, let’s go get some tea and then go over the Watson case, I’ll be glad to get that all finally done and dusted and out of my life.”

So, with a sigh, Niall followed after the brunet as he then led the way out of the office and past his secretary, Jenny (whom Nially waved good morning to), with the promise of bringing back some tea for her, and through to the smart, little kitchen, where he ended up walking straight bang into Louis’ back as the other man came to a rather sudden and unexpected halt.

“Wha–” Niall began, confused, moving around Louis who seemed to now be frozen in place, to see that someone had already beaten them to the staff kettle. “Oh, hi, you must be the new guy! I’m Niall and this is Louis.”

The taller man, whom Niall had certainly never seen before and so could of course only be the new hire, didn’t immediately reply, his wide, green eyes focused over Niall’s shoulder to where Louis still stood, stock still.

Louis couldn’t quite believe it, his perfectly decent and ordinary morning suddenly flipped on its head, his stomach sinking and chest giving that once all too familiar throb.

As much as he wanted to believe it wasn’t true, he knew it just had to be him. Several long years may have gone by and a face that was once more rounded and cherubic with youth had now elongated and defined into the strong jawline of a man, who had also sprouted significantly taller, while an unruly head of curls had been grown out and was now tied back into some pretentious man bun of sorts, but the man was unmistakable.

There was also most definitely what appeared to be recognition in those deep, green eyes as the man stared right back, seemingly also rather taken aback by what he himself was seeing.

“Hello?” Niall asked, brows furrowing in confusion as he took in the odd, silent exchange between the two other men.

This seemed to break the tense moment and grab the taller brunet’s attention, as he quickly broke eye contact with Louis, to instead look back at Niall sheepishly and extend his hand awkwardly to the blond. “Er, hi, I’m Harry, uh, Harry Styles.”

Louis couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t stand there. Couldn’t be in the same room as the other man.

“Lou?” Niall asked, surprised, looking away from where he’d just released Harry’s hand to catch the last sight of Louis’ back as he strode swiftly right back out of the kitchen without a word, tea long forgotten. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into him, I swear he’s not usually this rude,” Niall then apologised on the other man’s behalf as he turned to look back at Harry, whose cheeks had flushed ever so slightly.

“Um, no, no, don’t worry about it. It’s okay,” he shrugged back, trying to feign nonchalance, when really Harry’s heart was still pounding in his chest.

After all these years, he apparently still got that same rush.

Despite all this time, Louis clearly still hadn’t forgiven him. He wasn’t exactly surprised, but he’d be lying if he said Louis’ reaction hadn’t hurt him. Maybe he shouldn’t have listened to Nick; maybe this was really all a huge mistake after all.

Louis looked different too. Good, but different. Sharper and harder, but unmistakably Louis. His angular features even more defined now with age, his body definitely slimmer, yet still compact, sculpted cheekbones highlighted by the stiff updo of his quiff, rather than the soft swooping fringe Harry remembered from their youth.

It felt strange reconciling that softer, warm Louis of his past with this sharp and seemingly colder version, as the same person.

~x~

When Niall eventually returned to Louis’ office, two cups of tea clutched in his hands (he was a damn good friend), he raised a curious eyebrow at his mate and sat down opposite him, Louis already seated at his desk, head in his hands.

“Care to explain what that was all about?” Niall asked, putting down the coffee and sliding one over.

“Nothing. It was nothing,” Louis mumbled into his hands, trying to get to better grips with himself. He was okay, so what if Harry now suddenly happened to work here too. That was okay, he would just have to avoid him, he could do that. He was blowing things out of proportion. This was not the end of the world.

What the fuck were the odds though, of all the bloody firms in London – in England for that matter – why was it Payne, Malik and Associates that Harry would have to turn up at?!

“You sure ‘bout that? Look,” Niall sighed, Louis finally raising his face to meet the blond’s gaze, chin now resting on clasped hands. “Harry seems like a pretty decent bloke, yeah? He’s new, cut the bloke some slack, you know how intimidating it can be starting a new job.”

“Sure, fine. I’m sorry. Can we go over the case now though? The sooner it’s finished off, the better.”

Niall just sighed and nodded at Louis’ blatant change of topic, deciding to just let it go for now. He didn’t quite understand the other man’s odd behaviour and sudden change in mood, but reckoned that poking the bear, so to speak, was probably not the best approach to it all.

Louis had a tendency to explode when pushed; he was more the sort to react now and think later, and Niall just didn’t want to deal with that right now. Despite being a lawyer, he really disliked conflict, especially with his friends, of which he counted Louis as his best.

~x~

Later on, having spent the majority of the day cooped up in his office, bowed over his notes but not really able to concentrate, fingers twitching in need of some nicotine to help combat his current stress levels, Louis gave in and headed up to the roof. He tried his best to avoid smoking at work at least, but desperate times...

So far, by whatever miracle, Harry had seemed to get the message though and so hadn’t tried to come over and disturb him in his office, something he’d honestly been anxiously dreading in anticipation. When he then also ducked off quickly to the little roof terrace, he made sure to stay out of everyone’s sight, wanting to be alone.

The thing is, he’d only managed to get in a few much needed inhales from a cigarette, the bitter winter chill out not enough to dissuade him, when he heard the door that lead onto the roof terrace open from a little way behind him. His immediate response was to turn and see who it was, only to then wish he hadn’t.

It was Harry.

Of course it was fucking Harry. He shouldn’t have thought he’d be able to deal with the fact that the other brunet had seemingly been hired at the same firm he worked for, as simply as he’d tried to earlier. Clearly the younger man needed to be told, as well as shown, that Louis wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

He turned back around, to glare over the landscape of tall, glitzy buildings that made up the city of London, Payne, Malik and Associates situated right in the business district. He may not be able to enjoy his smoke in blissful solitude up here anymore, but that didn’t mean he was going to give up his much needed hit of tobacco and nicotine, let alone pay the other man any attention.

“You know smoking’s bad for you, right?” Naturally Harry couldn’t leave well enough alone and continued to be oblivious of Louis’ now repeated ‘leave me the fuck alone’ body language.

Louis just took a deep inhale, pointedly ignoring him, before blowing out a long plume of smoke, the warm tendrils exiting his body then mingling and fading in the brisk chill of the air around him. It seemed winter was stubbornly trying to make a comeback, after a fairly mild December in a last ditch effort.

“It’s odd, I would never have taken you for the type to be a smoker,” Harry then continued, clearly determined to try engage Louis in conversation and stubbornly ignoring the fact that he was so obviously being ignored. Clearly some things about Harry Styles hadn’t changed. “I mean, aside from the fact that it could most likely kill you, it also leaves one smelling like an old ashtray, not to mention how your mouth is left tasting...”

Louis blew out an irritated huff of smoke then, unable to not spit back, “Well it’s hardly of your concern – any of that: what I smell like or what it does to my health, let alone the way it makes my mouth taste.”

“Well, yeah, but... still. Don’t _you_ care?” Harry then asked, sounding a little taken aback, even though he’d managed to achieve what he’d clearly been after – a response from Louis.

“Not in the slightest,” Louis replied coolly on an exhale, turning at last to regard Harry disinterestedly, as he dropped the last of the cigarette and put it out with the heel of his shoe. “Now, if you’re done being condescending in a matter that has nothing to do with you, I must get back to work.”

Oh God, this was going horribly, Harry thought; not at all according to plan. Though, if he had to admit it, there really hadn’t been much to his whole foolish plan. Nick really was right, not about suggesting this whole mess, but that he should have thought through all of this more thoroughly, instead of just charging in headfirst, but ‘the heart wants what the heart wants’.

“Look, Louis, wait,” he attempted to appeal to the older man as he tried to make his way to the door that lead back inside, one of his hands reaching out to halt his exit.

“What, Harry? What do you want?” Louis asked, swivelling back around as he shook off the other brunet’s light hold of his arm, azure blue eyes gone a challenging shade of slate.

“I didn’t mean to get off on the wrong foot, I just wanted to say you look good, yeah? Smoking aside. It’s been years since I last saw you,” Harry said looking hopefully at Louis.

He really meant it too. Despite the time that had passed by since last they’d seen each other and the cause of their separation, the sight of the other man was still oddly comforting. He’d really missed Louis, more than a lot. It was, in fact, one of the main reasons he’d accepted the job offer from Payne, Malik and Associates, when he’d learned that a certain Tomlinson also happened to belong to the rather well respected London-based firm.

“And whose fault is that, yeah?” Louis asked, before shaking his head dismissively. “I don’t have time for this, nor am I interested in whatever it is you have to say, Harry. Everything that happened between us is in the past. Now, due to whatever cruel twist of fate, we happen to be colleagues, nothing more and nothing less. So, if you’ll be so kind as to excuse me, some of us actually have work to get back to.”

Harry was then left to watch on as Louis headed back inside, clearly still firm in his intent to remain bitter and unforgiving of the other man, despite the fact that several years had already gone by. Harry couldn’t help but groan in frustration. He knew Louis had been hurt and upset – in his defence, so had he – but he just hadn’t thought he’d still be so childish about handling things with Harry and hung up on it all.

~x~

Louis had had a long week, what with him and Niall wrapping up the Watson case at long last, the defence’s counter claim having fallen through and leading to both sides then just settling outside of court, their client undoubtedly coming out on top, having gained not only the villa in Como, but the yacht too. There had also, of course, been all the ducking and diving he’d done to avoid another awkward run in with Harry, which was exhausting in and of itself.

The other man had seemingly gotten the message though, as he hadn’t attempted to approach Louis again, but had instead left him to it, which was good, because Louis found himself sneaking off to the roof terrace for a smoke a lot more often than he was used to. He didn’t, however, miss the sad puppy eyes he felt on the back of his neck from the other man whenever he did venture out of his office. The whole situation was awfully stressful to him and, despite being an admittedly unhealthy habit he’d been trying to kick lately, smoking did provide him with a little relief.

Niall, on the other hand, had attempted on a few more occasions to get Louis to make nice with Harry, the blond still uninformed of the fact that the two of them had a past and confused as to why Louis – someone who was well known for being a people person – remained adamant on not befriending the other man.

Louis figured he could always tell Niall why he had no interest in making friends with Harry, but he didn’t feel like dredging up the past even more than it already had been with the other brunet’s sudden reappearance in his life. Besides, he’d spent a lot of years trying to forget Harry Styles and didn’t think the other man deserved another iota of his time or concern; he didn’t want to make it all into a big deal. There was nothing he could really do about any of it now anyway.

So it was, that when Niall invited him over to one of the nearby pubs for drinks after work on Friday, that he’d readily agreed, looking forward to a chance to unwind and catch up with his best mate in a strictly non-work environment for the first time since they’d been assigned the Watson case. With Niall, casual hangouts usually consisted of a round of pints down the pub, if not a game of FIFA at one of their flats (ah, the life of a bachelor), or an actual game of footie in the park or a league game, something their boss, Liam Payne, also often joined them for.

When Louis arrived at the pub, however, running a bit late on account of Zayn having held him back a bit to discuss a prospective domestic case for him, it was to find that Niall wasn’t waiting for him alone in one of the booths. Sadly, Louis had gone all the way over to where they usually sat, before he’d noticed the head of dark curls, now having been let loose to hang down to Harry’s broad shoulders. It was due to that detail, the tall brunet’s hair not tied up in that ridiculous bun of his for once, that he hadn’t realised who it was at first.

Louis would be loath to admit that the long waves of hair actually looked good and suited Harry, so instead he shot Niall a glare and did his best to blatantly ignore the other brunet outright.  

“Seriously, Niall?” he asked, shaking his head, the other two men having stood up upon his approach. Even out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Harry’s eyes had gone comically wide.

_Well damn straight, what was he even doing here?_

Louis was rather a little bit more than annoyed; he’d really been looking forward to this evening.

“Aw, c’mon, Lou, I just thought maybe if you guys got a chance to get to know each other outside of work. Harry really is a great bloke–”

“Niall, I told you I had no interest in making friends with the guy,” Louis said firmly, before glaring at Harry and shaking his head.

“Louis, I had no idea–” Harry tried in vain, but Louis was already storming out of the pub.

He was sure he had some vodka back at his; he’d just have to settle for a night of getting plastered on his own. That could be easily arranged, he thought, already on the lookout for a cab to hail for a lift home, in no mood for dealing with people on the tube right now.

Of course Harry couldn’t just leave well enough alone and had apparently chased after Louis, as he could then suddenly hear heavy footfalls behind him, before he turned to find the man in question was now standing right there in front of him.

“I had no idea you’d be coming, I’m sorry. Honestly. Niall just invited me for drinks and never said a word about you joining us. I didn’t mean to intrude on your... friend time? I don’t want you to think I’m, like, stalking you now...”

Louis just lifted his eyebrows incredulously and shook his head in utter disbelief of Harry. The nerve of this guy!

“Yeah, ‘cause chasing after me now doesn’t help support the whole ‘stalker’ theory,” Louis pointed out, unimpressed, crossing his arms over his chest. The movement was a bit awkward, his thick winter layers making his arms stiff and hard to bend, but he maintained his challenging glare. Harry had left his coat and jacket inside the heated pub. Louis hoped he was freezing out here.

The fact that they were having another argument and he was forced to look up in order to meet the taller man’s eyes, only pissed him off all the more. There’d once been a stage when they’d been more or less the same height, before Harry had then begun to take over towards the end of things between them. Naturally the fucker had only seemed to grow even more in the time being, leaving Louis disadvantaged by rather a few inches. His height, or rather lack there of, had always been a bit of a sore spot.

“Well, uh, I, er, I guess...” Harry stuttered, rightfully nervous in Louis’ opinion. The stuttering, accompanied by his characteristically slow speaking voice, which also happened to have gotten even more ridiculously deep over the years, just grated on Louis’ nerves all the more. “But I, uh, I just wanted to make it clear to you. I’m not trying to be a prick. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Bit late for that, Styles,” Louis pointed out, leaving the other man with no doubt that he was talking about a whole lot more than just that evening.

“Look, Louis, I’m sorry, honestly. About everything. A lot of time’s gone by since we last knew each other though, I’m practically a different person – I’ve grown up – and I’m pretty sure you have too. Can’t we please just try and start over; pretend like we never knew each other before this and make peace? I mean, we’re gonna be seeing a lot of each other now, it would just make everything easier if we weren’t so hostile; surely?”

Louis felt incensed, old scars and wounds being reopened by Harry’s apparent callousness about something that had truly devastated him at the time and, if his family and old mates had anything to say, still played a large role in making him the way he was now. His arms dropped to hang at his sides tensely, hands unconsciously forming tight fists, as he tried to hold onto the last threads of his temper.

“No, _you_ look, Harry. What happened between us all those years ago may not have meant a lot to you, but _I_ can’t just sweep it all under a rug and pretend all of that didn’t happen, so excuse me if I actually have some normal, human emotions about it all. And yes, we’re now unfortunately going to be seeing a lot of each other, but that still doesn’t change anything.

“I’m not about to now play pretend and make nice just so things can be ‘easier’ for you. Fuck off, Harry. All is most certainly not forgiven, so please, just leave me alone already. I have nothing more to say to you. _Ever_ , quite frankly.”

Rant done, Harry’s green eyes now even wider than they were earlier and stupidly full lips remaining blessedly still in his somewhat slack jawed expression, Louis stalked off to go hail that cab a little ways further down the street and out of the presence of Harry. He could not breakdown in front of the other man. That was out of the question.

Louis didn’t look back. He could feel his hands trembling, as a black cab pulled up to pick him up. His voice came out a little wobbly then too, when he told the cabbie his address, but the man didn’t comment on it and just let him be. So, biting one of his finger’s nails distractedly, he tried his best to hold on until he got home. Until he could be alone.

The cab journey couldn’t end soon enough and when it eventually did, he hastily paid the driver and scrambled out without a word, no longer trusting his voice, he could feel himself coming undone, the argument he’d had with Harry bringing everything back up to the surface, despite having managed to go a whole week – years now – with suppressing them all.

His hands still trembled then when he made to unlock his front door and drew in a ragged breath, before finally falling inside and slamming the door shut and locking it behind himself. He only made it as far as the open plan living room, before he finally just broke down.

~x~

Harry was still a bit shook up about his encounter with Louis on Friday night when he went into the office the following Monday morning, doing his best to avoid the other man. He’d spent his weekend debating with Nick and seriously contemplating giving up on the whole ‘winning Louis back’ plot.

As luck would have it, of course, his bosses, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik, the name partners of the firm, then went and called for both his and Louis’ presences in Zayn’s office. Louis had studiously ignored him when he’d caught up to him last minute, as the two entered the office. He tried to not take it too personally. He failed miserably. It hurt, he’d been misunderstood the other night and genuinely wanted to at least be on somewhat friendly – speaking even – terms with the other man.

“You what?!” were the first words Louis then uttered after they’d been sat down and given the proposal their bosses had thought made perfect sense. “You have got to be kidding me!”

Harry was a bit startled by the other man’s response in the face of their employers. Sure, Louis was ranked very high in the firm, but the two of them were the next step ahead as name partners.

“Now, Louis, I don’t know what you’ve got against Harry, but the two of you have such different styles of approach that we think pairing the two of you on this case would be invaluable and really help give us the edge,” Zayn tried to reason with him, but Louis wasn’t having it, already up out of his chair and shaking his head vehemently.

“This was meant to be _my_ case, I was supposed to pick a partner – and that was if I even felt one was necessary!” Louis pointed out. He still had yet to look back over at Harry, who remained seated awkwardly, watching the back and forth.

“Yes, but, Louis, you have to understand–” Zayn tried to begin again, but Louis shook his head, scoffing in disbelief of what was happening. He was set on not partnering up with Harry, of all people, on this case. “Louis, humour us. This is a pretty big case and will no doubt be all over the news; we want to have two of our best working on it to ensure the right side wins.

“You have a tendency to lose your cool, where Harry here is well known for keeping a good check on his emotions; the pair of you should work well together. This may be a Family Law case, which as we all know is your forte, but it also happens to be pretty high profile in nature; something Harry is better acquainted with. You’ll need each other.”

Louis just rolled his eyes, Harry pretty sure he heard him muttering something along the lines of “Poncy, limelight-seeking arsekisser to B-listers” under his breath. Judging by Zayn’s own irritated eye roll, he’d heard him just as well as Harry. Liam too, what with the way he was obviously struggling to maintain a straight face.

In the short time he’d been working for Payne, Malik and Associates, Harry had quickly picked up on the whole ‘bad cop, good cop’ thing Zayn and Liam had going. The former far more formal and stern in nature, while the latter seemed to go for the more casual approach with their employees, preferring to be ‘one of the lads’ rather than commanding utmost respect and professionalism at all times.

“Look, Louis, it’s happening.”

“Yeah, Tommo. Think of the kid, if not the already wealthy, famous footie star,” Liam piped up at last, appealing to Louis’ love of kids that apparently still remained from what Harry remembered of their youth.

Louis just groaned miserably, collapsing back into his chair, fingers holding the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. Liam and Zayn were clearly not about to budge on this. Harry didn’t even bother giving his own opinion on it all; unlike Louis, he could tell that the other man was only flogging a dead horse.

Working a big, high profile case with Louis Tomlinson, who had made it perfectly clear he wanted nothing to do or even say with Harry, was going to be a _blast_. Harry’s legs were jiggling unconsciously where he still sat otherwise quietly in his seat.

~x~

“It’s an absolute disaster!” Harry groaned, running his long fingers through his hair, which fell in messy waves down to his shoulders.

“Oh c’mon, Harry. You should be looking at this rather as the obvious opportunity it is: the two of you will be forced to now spend time together,” Nick pointed out, finishing off making their drinks, before sliding Harry’s gin and tonic over.

After the stress of the day, Harry had gone over to see his best mate, Nick Grimshaw, who’d fairly easily managed to coerce him into drinks, despite it being a weeknight and Harry having an early start at the office the next day. After everything, he figured he deserved some strong liquor, regardless. Besides, Nick being a fancy Radio 1 DJ and all would probably suffer more due to his even earlier wake up call.

“Which, trust me, is not a good thing. The man hates me, Nick. He honest to God _hates_ me. Positively loathes me in fact, if not abhors!” Harry said, admittedly rather a tad dramatic, before taking a big swig of his drink.

“Come now, I’m sure that’s not entirely true,” Nick tried, after having taken a rather more tentative sip from his rather strong concoction, as he led the way over to his sofa, Pig, his pet dog, needing to be shooed before the pair could sit.

“Nick, you weren’t there; not on the roof, or outside that pub, or even in the office today. He was still in there arguing with Zayn and Liam again when I left an hour or so ago! He’s made it perfectly clear that he wants absolutely bugger all to do with me,” Harry said, finishing with a sad pout, before gulping down most of the rest of his glass’ contents.

“Harry, love, he just needs some time – a chance – to get to know you again. This case the two of you have been assigned sounds just like the perfect opportunity for all this to happen, to me. You’re just gonna have to be patient... give the lad some time to adjust and see you’re not the same arsehole who left him high and dry all those years ago.”

“Hey!” Harry frowned, pouting some more at his friend. “You know I wasn’t trying to be an arsehole; why I did what I did. I had my reasons...”

“I know, love, just playing with you,” he sighed, smiling sadly at Harry, as the younger man just went ahead and downed the last of his drink, shuddering a little then at the bitter taste that mingled on his tongue and down his throat. “Go easy on that, yeah. I did put quite a lot of gin in there...”

“Too late,” Harry declared, reaching forward to plonk the empty glass down on the coffee table, before leaning back and patting his lap to beckon Pig. He could do with a little canine comfort. “Good girl,” he praised her then when she readily leapt up and settled in, her weight rather more than it looked, but Harry didn’t mind, longs arms readily pulling her in close.

“You’re gonna ruin your suit trousers, you know,” Nick pointed out half-heartedly, tilting his glass in Harry’s lap’s direction.

“I don’t care,” Harry muttered a tad petulantly, but he felt it was justified. He really was upset about the whole Louis thing. The fact that Louis also happened to look bloody fucking fantastic and still managed to get Harry’s heart pumping, only made matters all the worse.

Why couldn’t they just make peace and try to put past mistakes behind them? It felt like an uphill battle; like he was fighting a war he could not win. He should never have accepted the job at Payne, Malik and Associates when he found out Louis worked there. This was all Nick’s fault.

When he told the other man as much, Nick simply shook his head. “Hey, I just suggested you try patch things up, I mean, I’ve never even met the kid and I’ve known you for years, but you still mention stuff about him every now and again. I thought it made sense that you either try rekindle whatever torch you’re still holding for him, or at least get some closure so you can bloody well move on already. You didn’t have to go ahead and do it though.”

 _Ugh_ , Harry groaned internally. Nick was definitely right, but then at the same time, how could Harry not have then followed that advice? He’d honestly tried his best to move on and leave Louis in the past and out of his mind (heart), but after all this time it still felt like there was a suspiciously Louis-shaped hole in his life that needed refilling.

He’d hoped that when they’d met again, all this time having passed since everything, that the other man would have been at least remotely receptive to him. That perhaps he may only at least be able to re-establish some kind of friendship with Louis and move on himself. He’d been a fool.

Sensing Harry’s thoughts and feelings on the whole matter, Nick downed the last of his drink and put down his own empty glass beside Harry’s, before turning around to face him properly again. “On the plus side though, what you’ve also got to try and remember, is that you do now work for one of the top law firms in the city at least, yeah? Uncooperatively bitter ex aside...”

Harry just threw one of the couch’s cushions at him.

~x~

“I assume you are already familiar now with the details of the case and so have read through the notes Zayn would have sent through to you; that Mr Forester is looking to gain custody of the child in the divorce, as well as filing a case against his Missus for Domestic Violence – listed under both Physical and Psychological Abuse.”

Louis wasted no time in greeting Harry or making pleasantries the next day (as if he would), but instead just claimed the seat opposite Harry’s in his office, laying a thick folder of files on the desk. Louis had insisted they meet in Harry’s office. He was clearly going for the ‘all business and only business’ approach to dealing with Harry. He was also coming across as a condescending prick. 

“Good morning to you too,” Harry shot right back, refusing to just cower, as he set down the mug of green tea he’d been drinking.

He didn’t miss the slight curl to Louis’ lip when he registered the contents of the mug. Well fuck him, Harry enjoyed the stuff, especially after coming in from his morning Pilates class; it helped settle him and get him in the right mind-set to work. Clearly the other man was still a bloody tea snob then.

“And yes, of course I’ve gone through everything Zayn sent me – I’m not an idiot, nor as incompetent at my job as you apparently assume me to be. This isn’t my first rodeo either, after all. I know what I’m doing.”

Louis just scoffed, clearly unimpressed, eyes even noticeably rolling at the rodeo comment. “Whatever, Styles. I had to be sure, so I know we’re both on the same page. If I’m now going to be forced to work with you, I won’t have you dragging me down and leaving all the dirty work to me – if we do this, we’re doing this as a team.”

“Fair enough; that’s what I want too. I wouldn’t expect you to do it all either, I’m a hands on kinda guy: I want to be involved,” Harry insisted, wishing the other man would kindly remove the bloody stick from his arse and start acting more civil towards him.

“Alright then,” Louis nodded, clearly not all that interested in Harry’s reply. “Well, the most obvious issue we have to tackle here, is the fact that this is a very high profile case, what with our client being a well known footie star, and so will be under quite a bit of speculation.

“The fact that he’s also claiming to be the victim of domestic violence, as a man, will also be quite tricky to convince the court – and public for that matter – of, especially considering the fact that he is rather infamous in the Premier League for being a bit of a thug. As for the kid, we’re already fighting an uphill battle there as well, with the court system usually favouring the mother in custody cases.”

Harry nodded his head, listening to Louis list off all the challenges this case would present them – things he had already penned down in a notebook in the early hours of the morning, having returned home from Nick’s to receive Zayn’s email on the case. Needless to say, he hadn’t gotten much sleep and his notes were partially legible at best.

In all honesty, he felt rather frazzled. He no doubt looked it too; he could feel a few curling strands of hair on his collar and hanging a bit in his face, that had alluded capture in his bun. Pilates earlier and his – now finished – cup of green tea were the only things keeping him together right now.

Louis, of course, looked well put together, not a dark bruise under his eyes in sight, nor a hair out of place in his immaculate quiff, which Harry was sure could probably withstand the force of a hurricane, the damn thing looked so sturdy. The only thing amiss about the other man’s obviously carefully crafted state of perfection, aside from his noticeably too rigid posture, was the scent of cigarette smoke that clung to him. His nails too, as Harry watched the other man’s hands while he leafed through one of the documents on the desk, had more or less all been bitten down to the quick.

Louis clearly wasn’t all he was claiming to be, the more nervous and vulnerable boy Harry had known, still existed under this new, unfamiliar facade of cold, clean-cut professionalism and perfection. Louis had always had a bad penchant for nail-biting.

_Oh, Louis._

Harry didn’t want to fight or be at odds with Louis. He wanted to be there for him. He wanted to be a part of his life again. He wanted to relearn all his habits, good and bad, and interests, as well as all the new ones he’d developed and grown into. He wanted to know Louis, this new version of him – the man he’d become – properly.

Nick had been right; he really wasn’t over Louis Tomlinson. Being in his presence again, was only proving the fact to be all too painfully true. Yet the other man clearly didn’t feel the same, at least not in the same way Harry did. Louis wasn’t over the fact that Harry hadn’t chosen him, that Harry had broken both their hearts. Harry didn’t know how he was going to make it up to him.

“Oi, are you even listening?” Louis suddenly demanded, clearly irritated, snapping Harry out of his troubled thoughts.

“I am, I am, sorry,” Harry rushed to apologise and he could feel his cheeks heating, as he made to sit up a bit straighter.

“Look, Harry, as you should know, you’re literally the last person I want to share this case with, and if you’re then also going to be unprofessional and not take this seriously, don’t think I won’t hesitate to report you to Zayn and Liam. It would only give me the utmost pleasure to see you reprimanded and possibly even kicked right off the case. So, actually, please, continue on as you are currently.”

“Well it wouldn’t hurt either if you maybe tried to stop acting like such a dick. You’re the one that’s being unprofessional, by bringing in your own personal feelings. This case is about Mr Forester and the fact that he wants to keep his little girl and himself out of harm’s way from his abusive and allegedly alcoholic wife, not about us and our past,” Harry was quick to point out, getting equally irritated. “So can we please put that out of the way – at least for while we work together on this case? For their sake? You can go right back to hating me afterwards, promise.”

Louis just glared back, before shaking his head and then finally biting out a “Fine.”

“Shake on it?” Harry asked, awkwardly holding out a hand over his desk to the other man. For a bit there then, he thought Louis was just going to leave him hanging, until, with a resigned sigh, Louis then moved forward to give him a firm handshake.

He tried to ignore the way Louis’ warm hand still seemed to fit so perfectly in his comparatively larger hand, as well as the memory of how Louis used to joke that he was like a puppy with too-big paws he still needed to grow into. He liked to think he’d managed to do so over the last several years since.

This was going to be a long case.

~x~

“Mr Forester, this is my partner for the case, Harry Styles, who will be helping me ensure that you win this,” Louis introduced Harry to their client, Mike Forester, whom Louis had already spoken to on the phone leading up to this meeting.

“Oh, hi, Mr Styles, please, call me Mike,” he smiled handsomely, reaching a hand out to shake Harry’s. Louis had already made his own introductions with the man, before leading him up to his own office, where he’d told Harry to meet them. His office had a better view and looked more established than Harry’s, the other man still having a box or two to sort through cluttering up the place.

“Nice to meet you, Mike. Please, call me Harry then,” Harry smiled warmly at the football player, readily shaking his hand, before indicating that Mike should sit down. Louis tried not to get visibly annoyed. This was his office after all and there was no need for Harry to take over. He had better not try to take over in court too though or Louis wouldn’t be able to take that so graciously.

Louis took his own seat then, behind his desk, Mike taking the one Harry had indicated. Instead of then taking the other empty chair beside Mike, however, Harry chose to just lean against the corner of the desk, his stupidly long legs making it incredibly easy for him to perch his bum atop the edge of the varnished dark wood.

What was he, too cool or hipster for a bloody chair now? Louis bit his tongue; he couldn’t lose his cool in front of the client. This whole case was going to be a true test of his self-restraint, wasn’t it?

~x~

“How’d it go yesterday?” Liam asked Louis curiously, the pair having slipped off to the Pret nearby for a quick lunch, the shop’s windows misted over from the heating and people inside, protected from the bitter chill outside.

“We filed an injunction against Mrs Forester, to try help with the continued harassment – all the constant phone calls and in case she tries to go to the press again. Sadly we were too late obviously to prevent that laughable piece in _The Sun_ today, which she did an interview for,” Louis explained, after swallowing his mouthful of chicken Caesar and bacon baguette, his accompanying scowl ruined by the smudge of dressing in the corner of his mouth.

“Wootton’s a twat; completely baseless article – but then I wouldn’t expect anything less from _The Sun_ ,” Liam said, putting down his, more simple, ham and cheese baguette, so he could take a gulp from his cooling coffee. “I think the injunction was a smart move though.”

“Definitely a necessary one,” Louis muttered around his mouthful of baguette. “Then we’re gonna have to deal with a CAFCASS reporter, ‘cause she obviously refuses to give over sole custody, but hopefully they should see that Mike is clearly the better option and the residence order will be in his favour...”

“It’s so sad, that poor child,” Liam sighed, before picking up his baguette again.

“Well, yeah, but she can hardly live with her mother, regardless of the fact that so far Mrs Forester has only assaulted Mr Forester,” Louis pointed out. “We’re also in the process of sorting out disclosure and getting an occupation order that will hopefully exclude Mrs Forester from the family home, so that Mike and Jessica can move back in.”

“Has the petition been filed yet then?”

“Harry went with Mike to file it this morning,” Louis nodded.

He’d been in court dealing with the Financial Dispute Resolution of another client he had. That case was a walk in the park compared to the Forester case, and that wasn’t just because he was partnered with Harry for this one, but such a high profile case was new territory for him completely. He certainly didn’t doubt himself, or his abilities as a solicitor – he had a lot of experience and success in Family Law – but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel stress and rather a bit like he was under the microscope here. There was definitely more pressure than usual to perform and get everything settled in his client’s favour.

The bonus stress of being forced to work with Harry naturally didn’t help much either, but so far they’d managed well enough to keep things extremely professional between them.

Which was good, as they were due to start working most afternoons more regularly together to get everything sorted out in the Abuse side of the case, as they had other cases they were also both dealing with separately by themselves (apparently Harry really was a hot commodity as it hadn’t taken long for him to get some cases). They need to gather up the evidence and build a strong case against Mrs Forester, especially now, as she had decided to counter sue and was claiming Domestic Violence on Mike’s side too. Something their client vehemently denied. Call it a hunch, but Louis highly doubted her side of things.

~x~

Harry and Louis were working late one evening, something that had been happening a lot more often lately, what with their own cases taking up most of their daytime and making it rarer for them both to be free during the day at the same time, in order to work on the Forester case. Despite originally planning for afternoons, through default it seemed evenings had become their unofficially allotted time to work together on the case.

Though, Harry thought, glancing across Louis’ desk to see the other man intensely focused on his laptop, a furrow of concentration formed between his brows, they didn’t really tend to do too much talking, unless when strictly needed to inform the other of what they’d found. They were trying to build a good enough case to bury Mrs Forester and her false claim of Abuse.

Harry was starting to take strain though, it was getting pretty late and they were the last ones working in the offices, Niall and the others having already headed home or wherever else they went when they were done working. All the other private offices were dark and locked up, and even Jenny had bid them good night.

It felt like everything he was reading was no longer being processed, not properly at least, and he’d been stuck rereading the same paragraph several times now already, but he still just wasn’t getting any of it. He needed a break. He needed food too.

Glancing back at Louis again though, the other brunet didn’t appear to be in any hurry to give up just yet. Dammit, Harry didn’t want to be accused of not taking this case seriously enough again by the other man. It was important, but at the same time, he wasn’t a robot either.

Louis had always had the ability to get pretty intense about something he cared about, but this was insane. He didn’t know how Louis could get so utterly consumed by his work and was even beginning to suspect that maybe he wouldn’t even notice if Harry slipped out now. He certainly hadn’t acknowledged his existence for a good hour or so at least.

“What?” Louis asked suddenly though, blue eyes flicking up from his screen to gaze back at Harry through the black frames of his glasses.

Harry had always liked Louis in glasses, even though he’d often been reluctant to wear them when they were younger. He was pleased to see that he’d come into his own and rocked them now confidently. Louis tended to wear them at times like this; when they worked late, his eyes no doubt getting irritated from his contact lenses and staring at a computer screen for too long.

“Oh, uh, I was just wondering how much longer you planned to go on for? It’s gotten pretty late and I’m starving here,” Harry admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, which was aching from all the hours he’d spent hunched in front of his own laptop, along with the empty pang from his stomach. “I could really go for something to eat actually.”

Louis frowned, but at the mention of food his stomach audibly growled, prompting a little quirk out of Harry’s lips that he couldn’t stop.

“And by the sound of it, you could probably do with a bite to eat too.”

“I’m fine, but you can go so long if you want to, Styles,” Louis replied dismissively, before pointedly looking back down at his laptop screen.

He frowned, but didn’t look back up again, then when his stomach gave another hungry gurgle. Clearly Harry had awoken the beast.

“Oh, c’mon, Louis, why don’t we both just call it a day – well night – and go grab something to eat? The First Appointment is still only in a few weeks time, we have plenty time before court,” Harry tried, already standing up so that he could stretch out his stiff limbs, thanks to having been sat in the same position for hours. Louis’ eyes, which had returned to look at Harry, promptly dropped back down to his laptop.

“I’m fine.” His stomach chose then to growl again, of course, and Harry had to resist the urge not to grin triumphantly when Louis groaned in defeat. “Okay, we’ll stop for now, but I’ll just grab something for myself at the Waitrose up the road from me.”

“ _Waitrose?_ Ooh, well, look at you. Who would have thought it, Louis Tomlinson shops at Waitrose. Aren’t we suddenly all posh now?” Harry couldn’t resist teasing, even though he knew it probably wasn’t the best idea; Louis would probably just misunderstand him again. Him and Louis weren’t mates, they didn’t banter and joke with each other anymore, the only reason they were even currently speaking was because they’d been forced to work a case together.

Louis just rolled his eyes though. “It’s the closest shop to me. Don’t get me mistaken now. I’m just not in the mood to hunt for parking or a longer walk.”

“Just checking the big city hasn’t changed you completely,” Harry said, choosing to just keep up being playful as Louis had been surprisingly receptive. Clearly he was feeling a bit burnt out too and couldn’t bother with his usual routine of hating Harry.

“Please. Besides, Manchester’s hardly small and it never changed me – lived there for years too,” Louis pointed out, before quickly looking away from Harry, thoughts of Manchester no doubt reminding him of their shared past there as teenagers.

“Well, I still think we should just grab some food together. It’s late and I’m pretty sure Waitrose will be closed already,” Harry suggested, uncertain why he was suddenly being so insist on grabbing something to eat with Louis now so badly, yet determined to do so. He would win the other man over yet. He just had to.

Talk of Manchester had also made him reflect on their time spent there as teenagers and of them together. On how good it had been, on what they’d shared and how Louis had made him feel – like no one else had ever managed to. He’d come to work here for a reason. He had to win Louis back. He had to show him that he regretted what had happened all those years ago, and that wasn’t going to ever happen if they couldn’t at least spend some time together in a nonworking environment.

Louis gave him a sceptical look, before his stomach growled loudly again, making his body curl into itself a little, no doubt in an attempt to stop the growling.

“As tempting as the thought of getting dinner with _you_ is, I think I’ll have to pass. I’ll make a plan if the store is closed,” he said simply, but finally began to start packing up his laptop and things, Harry quick to follow suit.

“Oh c’mon, Louis. It won’t hurt you, besides, I’ll even pay for the cab?” Harry offered, zipping up his laptop case.

Louis looked back at him suspiciously, eyebrows furrowed. “Why, Harry? Why’re you so keen on this? I’d have thought by now my message of wanting nothing to do with you would have finally sunk in through that admittedly thick skull of yours.” Despite the harshness of his words, for once Louis’ voice actually lacked the bite that usually accompanied them. Harry counted that as progress, maybe this really wasn’t a lost cause.

“Because I think it’d be nice. I’m sure we’ll find somewhere that’s open at this hour for us to grab a bite and just relax after all this work. We don’t even have to talk if you don’t want to, some company would just be nice,” Harry said with a shrug, watching as Louis pulled on his jacket and then his smart black pea coat, looking every bit the professional he was.

Louis groaned, before letting out a deep, defeated sigh of resignation. “Fine, Harry, let’s go get something to eat.” Before Harry’s smile could properly form, however, he quickly added, “But don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean I want to make up and be friends now, or whatever the hell it is you want, alright?”

His expression was stern as he stared Harry down, the younger man putting on his own layers now before shouldering his packed leather messenger bag.

“Sure.”

~x~

They wound up going to a McDonald’s.

It had been a while since Louis had had anything that wasn’t super healthy or ‘low GI’, let alone something from the Golden M, but everywhere they’d gone past in the taxi was already closed or closing due to the late hour and their only other option had been going for kebabs, something they were most certainly too sober for. So Mickey D’s it was.

They’d ended up sat inside the otherwise empty fast-food joint – aside from the night staff who were all chatting amongst themselves in the kitchen – in one of the far corners, stuffing their mouths with greasy food and soda. Louis’ waistline, if not his arse, would no doubt show for it, but he figured he’d just do an extra half hour or so at the gym tomorrow. It was suddenly so worth it.

 _God_ , he hadn’t realised how much he’d missed junk food, he thought, stuffing several fries into his mouth at once. Fuck, carbs were just too good.

The stupid little grin on Harry’s face, as he delicately dipped a fry of his own in ketchup before popping it into his mouth, seemed to snap him a little out of his fast-food-induced haze. He’d almost been able to forget he’d come here with Harry, the insufferable twat having remained fairly silent since they’d hailed the cab.

“What?” he demanded through the mouthful, frowning at Harry and not giving a fuck for manners or how he looked currently, he didn’t give a shit what the other man thought of him. Really, he didn’t. Fuck Harry in fact.

“Nothing, I’d just forgotten that you tended to eat handfuls of fries at once. It’s kinda sweet that you still do,” he admitted with a shrug, before grabbing his drink to take a (quite frankly, obnoxiously loud) slurp of Coke. Louis frowned at the way he felt his cheeks heat at the other man’s words.

“Yeah, well, old habits and all that. Besides, I haven’t had McDonald’s in years,” Louis shrugged, following Harry’s lead and taking a big gulp from his own Coke. Oh God, he could moan, it tasted so good. Why had he been depriving himself so much? He could have just cut down, instead of cutting junk food completely out.

“Really? But you always used to love it,” Harry said, putting down his drink so he could eat some more of his fries. Slowly. He ate so slowly. Still.

Louis couldn’t help but roll his eyes internally. Of course he still ate slowly, he certainly still spoke bloody slowly.

“Yeah, well, it’s hardly healthy. I try and take better care of myself nowadays,” Louis replied, offering an attempt at a nonchalant shrug, “avoid junk food and all that.”

“Eating healthy’s really great, but, I don’t know, I feel like one should at least indulge themselves every now and again,” Harry said, watching Louis return to eating his fries too, except now only eating one or two chips at a time. “I mean, please don’t tell me you’ve stopped eating pizza now too?”

Louis grimaced and nodded. “’fraid I have...”

“Oh my God, who are you?! You can’t be Louis Tomlinson! The Louis I knew would have given up his right arm, rather than go without pizza ever!” Harry gasped dramatically and Louis didn’t know what possessed him – maybe it was the rush from eating all the junk food after going so long without and having spent so many hours nonstop in front of a computer screen and the shitty sleep he’d been getting since Harry’s return to his life – but he found himself giggling at the other man’s silliness.

Harry just beamed in response, his whole face lighting up and, despite his face having thinned out and become more mature, those once familiar dimples popped out, turning his face boyish and sweet, the way Louis remembered him being all those years ago. He couldn’t help but grin back, Harry’s smile only widening when he saw the way Louis’ eyes still crinkled in the corners. Bloody Harry Styles and his obnoxiously pretty face, why did Louis still find those ridiculous dimples so charming and that damn smile so infectious?

“Please tell me you still like soccer at least?” Harry asked, pushing his luck a bit if he were being honest, but finding the way Louis was suddenly and unexpectedly being so receptive to him too addictive to resist pushing.

“That, would be football to you, and of course, how could I ever give footie up?!” And before he knew it, Louis was suddenly telling Harry all about the league he played in with Niall and Liam and all the antics they’d gotten into over the years and then on how he and Niall had even become friends.

Now that he’d started, he just couldn’t seem to stop talking, Harry’s encouraging nods and smiles and occasional questions and hums, only fuelling him on. He’d forgotten how good a listener Harry could be, it was bizarre, like he’d been transported back in time and so it shouldn’t have been too surprising when the two then found themselves talking about old times and the shit they’d gotten up to. Harry also had a go at talking his mouth off, Louis learning that he was still very passionate about photography and that his family still lived in Manchester and he often went to visit them.

The pair lost themselves in conversation and ended up talking long after all their food and drink had been consumed, until eventually Harry caught sight of the time from a clock hanging on the wall and reluctantly suggested they leave; he did have to get up early for Pilates after all and, as it was, it was already going to be tough enough getting up in the morning.

He also suggested they catch a cab together again and insisted on paying for it, saying the whole trip for food had been his idea anyway.

They continued chatting about old times the whole way to Louis’, the spell seemingly still not broken, until they arrived and Harry slid out of the cab so that Louis too, could get out past him. Instead of calling it a night and getting back into the cab then though, Harry leaned back in to pay the driver before waving him off and turning back to a rather perplexed Louis.

“And now?” Louis asked, having waited outside his flat in confusion, but now starting to frown, as he crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly defensive.

“I just figured I’d walk you to your door and then walk the rest of the way to mine. You live on the outskirts of Chelsea and I live close by in Battersea; hardly a long walk,” Harry shrugged, offering Louis a shy smile. Louis’ frown deepened.

“Look, Harry, tonight’s been alright and all, but nothing’s changed between us, okay? I still feel the same way. As far as I’m concerned, as soon as this case is finished, whatever sort of ‘truce’ we’ve been forced to establish will be too and I’ll go back to trying to pretend I live in a world where you don’t exist.” And with that, Louis turned on his heel and walked up the stairs to his front door.

As he was fumbling with his key to open the door, however, he felt a strong hand suddenly wrap around his bicep and spin him around, before he was pushed backwards against the door’s black wood.

“Harry, what the–” he tried to ask, blue eyes blowing wide in shock, Harry’s own green ones hard and determined, before he was silenced by the taller man’s lips, his head dropping back against the hard wood with a thump due to the force of the kiss.

Instead of breaking the kiss and pushing Harry away – the way he knew he should – he found himself kissing him back, eyelids drooping shut. He hated himself for it, but he couldn’t help it. It was as if he’d suddenly lost control of himself and taken leave of his senses.

Harry still kissed enthusiastically, like he had when they were younger, his plush lips pressed firmly against Louis’, as his warm tongue easily managed to push wetly through and gain access to his mouth, which parted against his will, Louis’ body taking over and readily responding to Harry’s.

One of Harry’s strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him in closer, while his free hand moved to slide into the hair at the back of his head, fingers knotting in the toffee strands, holding his head firmly in place. He couldn’t help but gasp into the kiss then, as Harry tugged on his hair and pushed one of his legs between Louis’ thighs. 

He knew he shouldn’t be kissing Harry – _Shit_ , how was he even now _kissing_ Harry?! – but Louis honestly couldn’t seem to help himself, couldn’t shove the other man away, his arms looping around the Harry’s neck instead. It also didn’t help matters that the fact that Harry was now rather a bit taller and broader than him, and had to duck down to kiss him, turned him on immensely. Fuck, since when was he even into that?

Harry then dropped the arm around his waist a bit, in order for his hand to drop to Louis bum, so that he could pull their lower halves even closer together, his thigh also pushing more upwards and causing Louis to bite down a bit on Harry’s full lower lip, to stop him from gasping. The action, however, brought to Louis’ attention the fact that Harry was hard against his hip and – even worse – he too was hard.

It seemed to be the thing he needed for his senses and willpower to finally snap back, in order for him to finally shove Harry back with a grunt, the taller brunet startled and stumbling awkwardly backwards down a step or two.

“Lou–” he tried to begin, confused, but Louis just cut him off right away. He needed to get away from Harry, he needed space and to clear his head. This was not good.

“No. No, Harry, no. Just,” Louis shook his head, “No.” He then quickly turned back around and opened the door, his earlier efforts having unlocked it, before grabbing the key and hurrying inside. The last he saw of Harry was of the other man’s face lit up by the streetlights, his man bun rather messed up, a few dark curls having escaped, and face a mixture of confusion and hurt, before he swiftly pulled the door shut on him.

What. The. Fuck. Had. Louis just done?!

“Oh, God. OhGodohGodohGod.” Louis practically ran into his own flat, wasting no time in unlocking that door and dropping his keys on the entrance hall table and undoing his coat’s buttons with trembling fingers, before just dumping it on the sofa as he walked into the living room. “What have I just done? Fucking fuckity fuck fuckfuckfuckfuck.”

He shoved his hands through his hair, already messed up quiff completely ruined now, as he collapsed on the sofa, elbows on his knees. His lips were still tingling with the phantom of Harry’s kiss and he was still hard in his trousers. He glared down at his crotch, before just dragging his hands down his face hopelessly.

Oh God, what the hell had he just done?

~x~

Okay, so Harry had perhaps, kinda, really just fucked it all up now. He’d just gotten a little carried away and lost himself in the moment, only now he regretted it. Sorta. Kinda. Well, at least the part where he’d upset Louis and made him pissed off with him all over again and probably even more so now.

As for the part where he actually got to kiss Louis again and everything that he’d been wanting to rekindle and find once more had come rushing back to him? Well, he didn’t exactly regret that. No, not really that much at all. The fact that Louis’ first reaction had also been to then kiss him back, just as enthusiastically and for quite some time there too, hadn’t gone a miss to Harry either.

Louis had to still feel something for him too, surely? Either way, Harry couldn’t seem to now stop thinking about it and remembering the feeling of Louis’ lips pressed against his own, of their tongues sliding wetly and the solid warmth of his body fitting so perfectly, pressed up against his own. This was of course then only made all the harder to do when he now had to spend time around Louis in the offices, or more so when they worked together in the late afternoon.

Louis on the other hand seemed to be doing the exact opposite, at least by all appearances. He ignored Harry flat when he could, much like he had before, and whenever they did then interact; he seemed to be making a concerted effort to keep everything strictly professional. The way he was acting, you’d swear nothing had happened between them ever, let alone the fact that just the other night they’d been snogging one another’s faces off right up against Louis’ front door.

He was dying to say something, to bring it up, but there never really seemed to be an appropriate time to do so, and what he really wanted was for Louis to mention it. He wanted Louis to broach the topic and acknowledge the fact that it had actually happened.

The more time that went by since that night, however, the more he began to accept the fact that Louis was never going to do that. Louis appeared to be perfectly content with just bringing things back to where they’d been before that mind-blowing kiss, his tone usually dismissive or uninterested whenever he spoke to Harry. It was driving him up the wall.

He refused to believe that Louis hadn’t felt that undeniable spark that ran through them when they’d kissed; that once bright flame they’d shared, burning just as bright as before.

Also the fact that Louis now just hadn’t reacted, in any way, was killing him. After the way Louis had practically shoved him down those steps and then slammed the door on him, Harry had expected to drag himself into work the next day, only to be met with a renewed hatred, even stronger than before, from Louis. This was obviously not the case.

In a way he’d much rather have that than this... nothingness, this non-reaction or acknowledgement on Louis’ part. He just couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t just keep going on and pretending that they hadn’t reconnected, that they didn’t still have the ability to get on so amazingly well and that they hadn’t shared one seriously hot kiss on Louis’ doorstep.

_Fuck it._

Harry got up from where he’d been sat, stewing about all this in his head, at his desk and marched right out of his office and towards Louis’, before he could talk himself out of it.

“Mr Styles?” Jenny, Louis’ secretary asked curiously when he’d reached her desk, Louis’ office in sight and only several feet away.

Despite his own success and all the cases he tended to juggle at any given time, Harry didn’t have a secretary himself. If anything, he found it rather pretentious in fact that Louis had his own personal assistant, when Harry himself seemed to manage just fine without having to burden his work upon someone else.

But then Louis would have a secretary, he had always been the bossy sort; Harry only wondered why he hadn’t just started his own company, for the sole purpose of getting to do what he wanted, while being able to boss others about.

Harry managed to tear his eyes away from the varnished dark wood of Louis’ office door, to look back at her, offering her a friendly (albeit strained) smile. “Oh, hi, Jenny. I was just wondering if Louis was by chance free right now? I need to speak with him.”

“Oh, uh, well, he should be able to spare a minute or two; he’s just busy working on one of his other cases right now,” she said, offering him a warm smile in return. “Just knock first.”

“Thanks, Jenny. Love the blazer by the way, burgundy looks good on you,” he said, genuinely meaning it. Just because her boss was being a prat, didn’t mean that she wasn’t the obviously well organised and lovely young woman she was.

She blushed sweetly in response and waved him on with a smile and shake of her head, her fringe of dark hair swishing with the action. With that then, he took a deep breath and returned himself to the task at hand and knocked firmly against Louis’ door, like he’d been instructed. He then opened it when he could hear a ‘Come in!’ from inside.

“Oh. It’s you. What is it then?” was the truly charming greeting he received upon entering and closing the door behind himself.

Louis was sat behind his laptop, his black frame glasses balancing on his nose and shirt sleeves pushed up on his forearms, revealing the evidence of quite a bit of ink work, he hadn’t realise Louis had even gotten. Last he knew of, Louis had been pretty much set against getting any tattoos for himself, something he’d revealed after he’d gone off to uni and a 17-year-old Harry had sneakily gotten the outline of a star tattooed on the inside of his bicep, without his parents’ knowledge. He’d gotten quite a few more since then.

Noticing where Harry’s eyes were looking, however, Louis made to quickly tug down his sleeves and cover up the tattoos, before Harry had gotten a chance to get a proper look at what they were even of. Louis then frowned disapprovingly and impatiently at him.

“Can I help you? Or did you just come here to gawp at me like a moron?”

_Ouch. Alright then._

“Um, actually, I, uh, came to speak to you about, erm, what happened the other night?” Harry cringed internally at how awkward and nervous he was coming across, Louis’ eyebrows only raising slightly above the tops of his glasses’ frame.

“Sorry?” he asked in an overtly bored manner, even going so far as to return his attention to his laptop and whatever it was he was working on.

“The kiss, Louis. The fucking kiss! Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about! This is what the issue is, you’re just pretending like nothing happened. Like we didn’t reconnect. Like we don’t still have so much in common still and bonded over good, shared memories. Heck, like you didn’t feel that spark when we kissed again!” Harry snapped, Louis’ attitude now, after the fact that he’d been avoiding the issuing and making like nothing had happened, just getting to be too much.

Louis’ head jerked back in response, startled by Harry’s outburst, before he quickly composed himself, his expression hardening and blue eyes going more slate than azure in obvious anger.

“ _Excuse me?_ Look, Harry, I meant what I said when I said that us chatting about old times that night didn’t change anything between us. Nothing _did_ happen. Sure, those memories are of good times, but that doesn’t change the fact that you lied and still went and left me, despite them all and what I thought we’d shared.

“Why should I even care about them now when they clearly meant so little to you? When _I_ so obviously meant so little to you? And sure, I fucked up and let you kiss me, which, trust me, I regret greatly and wish I could undo. It won’t be happening again. This conversation won’t be happening again. Now please, get out and let me return to my work.”

“You can’t be serious?!” Harry asked, taken aback by Louis’ cold and steady tone, which held none of the passion and fight Harry’s had.

“I don’t have time for this. Get. Out,” Louis ground out, cracks starting to appear in the clearly fragile hold he had on his own temper. Memories of said (rather explosive) temper still rather fresh in Harry’s mind.

He couldn’t believe Louis was being so ridiculous about this. They’d kissed, it had happened, and Louis had most certainly (and bloody well enthusiastically) kissed him right back. He couldn’t now just dismiss Harry like this, like he didn’t have feelings too. He wanted to argue and rage, but the look in Louis’ eyes, well, it had him backtracking and shaking his head.

“Fine, Louis. Whatever.”

He chose to just leave the office, before he said something he’d no doubt regret, his own temper most definitely still pumping hotly through his veins. Louis was just being so bloody immature about all of this! They were adults now, yet Louis was going on like the insufferably mouthy, bloody teenager Harry had known all those years ago.

Shouting and telling each other off was not properly speaking about everything and sorting out all their issues, which had only gotten worse thanks to the other evening. Surely they’d both just be better off if they managed to resolve it? At this point it didn’t even matter if they didn’t get back together the way Harry had so naïvely thought they might. The fact was that they were now working together and this was hardly a good state for them to be in, especially considering the fact that they had a case together too.

The whole situation was a complete fuck up.

Harry didn’t even bother giving so much as a grunt in response then when he walked past Jenny and she asked if everything had gone okay, her voice filled with genuine concern. She’d no doubt noticed the undeniably strained relationship Louis and Harry had, what with working so closely with Louis, it was small wonder she was concerned.

He passed Niall too on his walk back to his office, the blond’s own one right beside Louis’ and he’d overheard Jenny and Harry’s extremely brief exchange.

“Ignore Tommo, he can be a right difficult twat at times, but I promise deep down he’s really not such a bad guy. Honestly. I’ll speak to him if you want? I thought you two had been getting on somewhat better lately, if not at least civil now...”

“Don’t, Ni, it’s alright,” Harry said with a sigh, shaking his head, all his anger suddenly just deflating out of him as Niall moved to block his storming off, a concerned and friendly look on his face. Despite all the difficulty he’d been having with Louis, Niall and him had very easily made quick and good friends in the office.

“Alrighty, Haz, but if he doesn’t stop being such a tool, please don’t hesitate to tell me; I’ll give him a good smack ‘round the head. Maybe I should organise another night at the pub, except force him to stay – you two probably just need a chance to properly get to know each other outside of work, yeah?”

Harry’s heart sank at Niall’s hopeful expression, the poor blond seemingly caught up in the middle of all of this, but without the knowledge of the true story and why they were the way they were.

“Thanks, but, uh, I don’t think that’ll be necessary. Maybe Louis and I just aren’t meant to be friends,” Harry tried to offer with a shrug and weak smile.

He couldn’t help but feel guilty. Clearly Louis had yet to tell the other man about their past and it made Harry feel like it was probably up to him to do so. He felt bad about leaving Niall confused and in the dark. At the same time, however, he was also scared of losing his only friend at the firm if Niall were to know the truth.

He was definitely the one in the wrong in their once love story and Niall had been good friends with Louis for years, while only knowing Harry for a couple months now, his loyalties would (and rightfully so) side with Louis if he were confronted with having to make a choice between them.

It was selfish, but he wanted to keep Niall as his friend too, so he just accepted Niall’s apologetic smile and comforting squeeze of his shoulder, before he went and locked himself up in his office.

If he then had a bit of a cry over the fact that he and Louis would never even be friends again finally and truly being forced to sink in, well then that was his business. He texted Nick to tell him he needed yummy food and drinks, as well as a friend that evening.

It wasn’t long before Nick texted him back with a range of emojis, including a thumbs up, a wine glass, sushi and a tempura prawn, as well as several rows of all the different heart emojis on offer. He replied with the octopus and several ‘X’s, grateful for the amazing and ever supportive friend he had in Nick. Even if it was the moron’s idea that he try win Louis back in the first place, regardless of whether he had actually been serious or not.

~x~

“I’m a complete idiot!” Harry sobbed sometime later, admittedly rather a bit more than tipsy, from his spot sat on Nick’s floor, empty takeout containers, which had once held the sushi they’d both devoured within minutes, scattered on the coffee table before him and well onto his fourth glass of wine.

“Aw, Harry, you’re not, love. The heart wants what the heart wants,” Nick sympathised, it was a Thursday night and he really did have work very early on in the morning, so he wasn’t nearly as sloshed as his younger friend. Instead he sat on the couch, Harry leaning against it between his legs, while he attempted to braid the other man’s messy waves of chocolaty curls. His attempts were admittedly poor at best.

“He really does hate me though, Nick. Like _gen-uine-ly!_ ” he pronounced the last word in clumsy, broken pieces, but Nick got the just and he shook his head in disagreement.

“I’m still not convinced, besides, you said he kissed you back,” Nick pointed out, finishing his latest and perhaps most lopsided braid. You’d think he’d be getting better as he went. “Hate and love are often confused, you know. Maybe the cause isn’t completely lost.” And maybe Nick wasn’t quite as sober as he thought he was. This was how this whole mess had started! Alcohol was not his friend.

“You think?” Harry asked, twisting round to look back at Nick, watery green eyes wide with his question and hopeful. How could Nick possibly say no to that? And, besides, with a bit of luck, perhaps Harry had drunk enough that he wouldn’t even remember this conversation in the morning.

“Uh, yeah, perhaps,” he shrugged, reaching out to ruffle the messy curls at the top of Harry’s head. “Perhaps.”

It wasn’t much later then, when Nick was tucking a passed out Harry in on his couch, having thrown a quilt his mother had made for him over the younger man, before setting an alarm on his phone to make sure Harry was awoken in time for work. Nick would already be long gone, off to the radio station, by then and Harry would have to see himself out. It was a fairly well rehearsed routine of theirs.

“C’mon, Pig, let’s go to bed,” Nick called, his faithful pup then hopping up and off from where she was lounging in the armchair, to eagerly lead the way to Nick’s bedroom. “Night, H.” he said, flicking the switch and plunging his lounge into darkness, Harry’s soft snores carrying on.

~x~

Harry watched on from his seat beside their client, as Louis argued their case to the judge, presenting photographic evidence in the form of pictures of the injuries Mr Forester had sustained, proof of the physical abuse he’d suffered in the marriage.

Having seen the photographs himself, Harry knew what the judge was currently looking at, yet his face remained stern and unreadable.

He looked over at the respondent then and had to admit to himself that, with the way she’d been all made up, her hair and makeup immaculate and petite frame dressed in a humble, yet smart dress, he even found it hard to imagine how she’d been capable of such actions against a strapping 6’3” football star. Appearance though, he knew, could be deceiving and he only hoped the judge would be able to see through hers.

Louis was clearly very good at his job though, as was he, and the respondent’s own team would have to do a lot better if they planned on coming out on top with this case, something Harry was determined to make sure didn’t happen and by them already having started off proceedings with being rather cagy, he hoped wouldn’t be too difficult to ensure.

~x~

“Since when does Malik come to these things?” Louis asked Niall curiously, sweeping his sweaty fringe out of his face as they headed back to their starting places, their opposition having scored (yet again). Louis had spotted their boss sitting ever so primly in the nearby stands.

“No clue, but Liam has been trying to get him to join the league for ages,” Niall shrugged, slapping Louis on the back as he passed by. “Must’ve finally gotten through to him, who knows, maybe he’ll be on the pitch next time!”

Louis looked back over at Zayn, the other man’s attention clearly focused on something past him, prompting Louis to turn and see what exactly his boss was so focused on. His eyes scanned the view and landed on Liam. Oh. Okay... His other boss, Liam Payne, was currently bending a bit and stretching up front, while he awaited the ref to blow his whistle and play to continue.

From his and Zayn’s vantage (the older man in the stands right behind him) they had a direct view of Liam’s rather muscular thighs and bum in his bent over stretch... Before Louis could let his mind delve on this all, however, the whistle gave a screech and he was suddenly back in the game. They were already a goal down and things were most definitely not looking good, something Louis’ competitive streak was struggling with. He need to concentrate and help them selvage what was fast becoming a sinking ship of a game.

They ended up losing 3-1 anyway, Niall having managed to at least miraculously score their one and only goal in the dying minutes of the game, thanks to a well aimed and speedy assist on Louis’ part. The fact, however, remained that they’d lost (yet again), so they’d all then ended up at a nearby pub, Zayn in toe, for commissary drinks (yet again). The whole thing was becoming something of a Friday ritual for them, only somewhat broken now by Zayn’s additional presence.

Now, Louis had been drunk rather one too many times in front of Liam before in the past – playing together in a footie league having provided many occasions for this (especially with their lousy luck and all too frequent losses) – but he’d never done so in front of Zayn Malik before. He considered both Liam and Zayn to not only be his bosses, but friends as well, but unlike Liam, Zayn tended to have a more business-like vibe about him and Louis hadn’t really done any more than go out to fine restaurants with the other man in social situations. So this was most definitely a first.

Considering how his life was going at the moment, what with the whole Harry mess and now yet another embarrassing defeat in a league match, well, there wasn’t much room for holding back, regardless of trying to keep proper in front of Zayn. Liam and Niall certainly didn’t have a problem with it either, if by the fact that the both of them were currently well on their way to being completely rat-arsed was anything to go by.

Zayn simply seemed amused by the whole thing, sat beside a rather pink-faced Liam and still sipping away at the last of his first pint, while the rest of them had at least two empty ones in front of themselves, as well as a series of empty shot glasses (Niall had thought tequila a good idea, which Louis reckoned the other man would greatly regret come morning).

When Louis then excused himself to go have a smoke outside, Zayn had gotten up to come and join him. He’d even been so polite as to help Louis open the pub’s front door without laughing too much at Louis’ failing to do so unassisted (he’d been insistently pushing, despite the fact it had listed ‘pull’. Perhaps he had drunk rather enough himself).

“So, Louis, how’s the Forester case treating you? I know you were reluctant to be paired with Styles, but I trust all isn’t as bad as you thought it might be?” Zayn asked curiously, offering Louis his lighter when the other man was still patting clumsily at his jacket’s pockets for his own.

They must’ve all looked a right sight coming into the pub, Liam, Niall and Louis all with wet hair fresh from the showers and dressed in tracksuits and trainers, while Zayn was still picture perfect (as usual) as he was at work, three-piece suit tie and all, his hair still neatly styled.

Louis just raised an eyebrow, as he balanced his smoke between his lips and tried to shield it as he lit it.

“Oh c’mon, Louis, he’s really not that bad,” Zayn argued, accepting the lighter back so that he could light his own cigarette. “You should really just try and give him a chance. He’s a really good solicitor and the two of you should, in all theory, make great partners.”

Louis tried to hold back his cringe at that, Zayn’s choice of words hitting a little too close to home. “I prefer working with Niall if I _have_ to work with anyone...”

“Louis, you can’t always be a lone wolf – sometimes you need to be able to trust and rely on others as well as yourself,” Zayn pointed out, after having released a long plume of smoke into the frosty night air.

“I trust Niall,” Louis shrugged, as he released an exhale of smoke himself.

“Not at first you didn’t... Maybe that’s what you need with Styles: time. Give it time, you’ll no doubt become inseparable just like you have done with the Irishman.”

“I doubt it,” was Louis’ swift reply, thinking to himself that that was exactly the last thing he needed with Harry. What he needed was a bloody break from the other man. “Now, enough work talk, Malik. We came here to unwind and, for whatever reason, you decided to join us for once, we should be celebrating.”

“What, your team’s thrashing against the opposition?” Zayn offered, a smirk curling his lips, which only grew in size when Louis frowned in response.

“You’re lucky you’re me boss, Malik, or I’d have something really snarky to say in response,” Louis grumbled, before taking another drag.

“Ah, but I thought we weren’t talking work – right now I’m just another one of your mates,” Zayn grinned, smoke curling out from between his teeth like a dragon as he wiggled his eyebrows at Louis.

Despite their working relationship, with Zayn being the superior as boss, and age difference, the pair had always gotten on really well, from the beginning and were undoubtedly now good friends.

“You can be ridiculous, you know that? Wonder what Liam would say if he saw you – his responsible and always professional partner – now,” Louis scoffed, pointing his nearly finished cigarette at the other man.

“Ah, but you forget, Li went to Durham with me, he’s seen me at both my worst and best. There’s nothing I could do that would surprise him now,” Zayn pointed out, with a shrug, inhaling one final drag, before stumping out the last of his cigarette.

“Hmm, sure,” Louis hummed, putting out his own cigarette, the memory of catching Zayn staring at Liam earlier coming to him, before he pushed it aside. He had enough issues of his own that he couldn’t be worrying about Zayn’s now too.

“Besides, he’s currently completely pissed up in there with Horan. C’mon, let’s go back in then, before those two finish our drinks for us.”

~x~

“Jaysus, Tommo, but you really out did yourself, mate,” Niall shook his head affectionately with a chuckle, Louis’ right arm draped over his shoulder and body weight leaning heavily against him, as he helped support Louis with an arm wrapped around his waist.

“S’alright, needed t’unwind,” Louis attempted to shrug in response.

After having gone out for their smoke, Zayn and Louis had returned to find the other two had gotten themselves embroiled in quite the drinking competition with a couple of the lads they’d lost to on the footie field – it was their chance for payback (at least according to Niall), so naturally Louis had found himself obliged to join in. As a result he was now headed home with Niall, the blond’s apartment closer and so more convenient considering he was struggling to hold himself up, let alone walk in a straight line.

Niall was by no means sober himself, but wasn’t quite as slaughtered as his best mate (which, according to Louis, he had his Irish blood to thank for). So they currently found themselves leaning for support on one another and stumbling from the pub to Niall’s. Zayn had offered to drive a near passed out Liam home, the other man having brought his car and having refrained from their ‘post football match hooliganism’.

“Ye very stressed with work then?”  Niall asked curiously, pulling Louis up a little bit as he felt like he was beginning to slip. “Still pissed ‘bout Harry?” he couldn’t resist adding, knowing his friend all too well.

“Yeah, Harry’s doin’ me head in,” Louis groaned.

“Yeah?” Niall hummed, glancing at Louis’ expression to see the annoyed frown on his face that talking about Harry had brought on. “Tommo, why is it that you dislike the bloke so much? He really isn’t that bad.”

Niall knew Louis liked to keep his cards close, but that drinking tended to loosen his lips somewhat. He couldn’t help but take advantage of his best mate’s alcohol-induced state, his curiosity getting the better of him and his own blood-alcohol levels helping him see nothing wrong with doing so.

“Why’s everyone keep sayin’ that? He really is that bad,” he argued, frown deepening.

“Yeah, then what makes him so bad then?” Niall asked pushing for more.

Louis turned his head to look at his friend critically, Niall simply raising his eyebrows, before he let out a deep sigh. Niall was still clearly set on trying to get Louis to like Harry, and be like everyone else in the office, who all seemed to just be falling for the other man and his obnoxious charms. Perhaps it really was time that Louis just came clean and opened up to Niall.

They’d been mates for years and Niall had proven his loyalty as a friend over and over again, surely he deserved to know? Who knows, maybe Louis would even feel better for telling someone, bottling this all up was doubtfully doing him any good.

So, before he could think twice and stop himself, he just let it out. “We used t’date.”

“Sorry, _what?_ ” Niall asked, coming to a sudden stop, resulting in Louis nearly falling flat on his arse, but luckily the Irishman managed to stabilise him last minute. “Sorry, sorry,” he then quickly apologised, Louis’ eyes wide and fingers digging into his arms.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Louis shook his head, before letting out a deep breath of relief both from not having fallen and from his chest feeling oddly lighter already. “Wow, it actually feels surprisingly good to tell someone.”

“Lou, why’d you never say anything before? When was this anyway? I thought you ‘didn’t date’?” Niall asked curiously, mind trying to correlate the two men and picture them together. It was difficult to do, considering all he’d ever seen Louis do was show contempt towards the other brunet.

“I don’t know really... just, ugh, tried not to think about it? Sorry,” he pouted guiltily, as Niall lead them to sit on the low wall beside them.

The house’s lights were off, so he figured the owners shouldn’t cause a fuss. They needed a chance to sit down and talk properly; Louis didn’t tend to open up a lot and he didn’t want to risk the other man clamming up again. He could tell whatever Louis had been keeping to himself – whatever had happened between the two men – was clearly something significant and had been bothering him a lot.

“We, uh, we dated years ago, when we were teenagers; I’d recently turned seventeen when we first met and, it sounds silly t’say it, but, well, I’d thought he was _It_ – he was me first love. Me only love, I guess...”

“What happened?” Niall prompted, Louis seemingly getting lost in his thoughts.

“Well, I was older, I finished sixth form first and had t’go off to uni – I had me pick and chose to go to York; it’s still one of the top ten in law, but was most importantly closest to home, to Mum and the girls. Closest to Harry.

“We tried the whole long distance thing, ‘cause, well, we were just so in love an’ I couldn’t even begin to imagine being with anyone else. It was so hard though, going from seeing him every day, to only getting to see him on the odd weekend, as well as havin’ a massive phone bill. Just a year though, I kept telling meself, we just had to pull through, we could do it – we had it all planned out.

“Harry wanted to do law too, he was super clever and had already skipped a year at school, so we knew he’d easily get into York too and we’d finally be together again. I’d get to show him the whole uni experience and get t’share it all with him. I was so excited, I was literally counting down the days and had even managed – through a lot of effort and schmoozing – to organise that we’d get to share a room in halls.”

Louis took a deep breath, before shaking his head, hands patting down his pockets to find his cigarettes and lighter, before pulling out a smoke and lighting it, Niall shaking his head when he was offered one of his own. He waited patiently as Louis took a deep drag, before then continuing.

“Little did I know that he’d changed his mind somewhere along the lines and, instead of just telling me straight out, he left me in the dark, completely clueless, until the end of summer break, when he was due to start – to come and join me in going back. Instead though, he then told me he’d gotten into East Anglia as well and had accepted their offer instead. They were rated higher on the list and, more important to me, furthest away from Manchester and York.

“I couldn’t do the long distance anymore, we’d discussed that already, he’d let me make a fool of meself all summer, going on about how I couldn’t wait for him to come up and join me and all the things we’d get up to. He knew how I felt. I couldn’t be further away from Mum and it was around that time she was getting divorced from me step-dad – the girls’ father – they needed me, I couldn’t just try transfer and move across the country after me boyfriend.

“He knew everything, what I was going through, but he’d lied to me, before then just abandoning me. He’d insisted we should try keep up the long distance, but what was the point? After three years, which I’d thought had been the best of me life, it was all over, just like that. I clearly didn’t mean the same to him as he meant to me. I was furious and completely heartbroken – I shut him out, it was too painful. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him since then, until he suddenly showed up at Payne, Malik and Associates.”

Louis shrugged sadly, his frown even deeper still, before he took another deep drag from his smoke, feet dangling from where he sat up on the wall, black Adidas trainers knocking against the brickwork, Niall leaning against it beside him.

“No shit, wow, I had no idea. I’m so sorry, Lou,” Niall tried to offer sympathetically, moving to loop an arm around Louis’ waist and hugging him. “No wonder you’ve been such a prick, I knew it had to be for a reason, you’re usually so nice to everyone.”

“S’okay, Nialler. It’s in the past, yeah.”

“But still, it’s clear you’re still hurt and upset. You two were so young and, well, Harry really isn’t _that_ awful, I think he’s grown up a lot. You two should talk; get some closure perhaps? Maybe even try give him another chance, yeah?” Niall suggested.

He got on really well with Harry and they’d made fast friends, and of course Louis was his best friend, he just wanted them to get on and for the animosity to end. The fact was that they now worked together – they had a _case_ together – they couldn’t keep letting their past get in the way.

When he saw the way Louis’ face began to twist, he hastily added, “Look, Lou, I’m not saying you two should get back together or anything, or even be best friends, I just think you should maybe try sorting out all your past issues and try move on. I feel like your past is holding you back a lot – and I’m not just talking about the fact that you don’t get along with Harry.”

Louis just sighed in defeat. He knew Niall had a point and was clearly looking at it all from an outsider’s perspective and was no doubt being more logical about it all. Lord knows Louis had never been logical whenever it came to Harry in the past.

“C’mon then, let’s head on to mine again, good to see you looking a lot more sober too,” Niall said, offering the other man a hand. Louis rolled his eyes, but accepted the blond’s assistance in helping him down from the wall.

“Lead the way.”

~x~

“Well that was decidedly painful,” Louis groaned from where he stood smoking on the steps in front of the courthouse.

Harry glanced around himself, before looking back at Louis, surprised that the other man had clearly addressed him directly. They hadn’t really spoken, just the two of them, since the older brunet had kicked him out his office the other day.

They had spent the first half of the morning they’d been together strictly speaking to and once more briefing their client on what was expected of him in the FDR and their roles in it. Then they’d both been focused solely on negotiations with the respondent’s solicitors (Mrs Forester having hired a second when she found out Mike had two working for him at the First Appointment) for the better part of the day, until the informal hearing, where the judge attempted to help settle the financial matters, which neither party had been able to agree upon. There were still several disagreements.

Their day spent negotiating pointlessly with the other side, felt like a complete and utter waste of time. Harry was utterly drained and exhausted and, going on how much Louis had also vehemently argued their side’s point across, for hours, he didn’t doubt the other man felt similarly.

“At least our client came away more or less on top in the end, for now,” Harry offered, feeling oddly nervous under the other man’s piercing stare, those blue eyes seemingly analysing him carefully. Louis had been doing a pretty good job of ignoring him flat the past week or two, unless utterly necessary, like when they worked on their case. It felt weird being under his scrutiny again.

“Could’ve still gone better, besides, we haven’t managed to settle everything,” Louis pointed out through a plume of smoke that coiled and twisted out from between his lips, which Harry couldn’t help notice looked ever so rosy and were damn well calling out to be kissed.

He had to briefly close his eyes and take in a deep breath before looking back at the other man. Ever since that damn kiss, he’d been dying to kiss Louis again, his body once more reacquainted with the sensation and greedy for more. He still felt guilty about it, but his lust currently outweighed that. He really needed to get laid. That was the issue. He needed to get over Louis, move on and find someone else.

But why was it so hard to do so? Louis had made it plenty clear, numerous times now, that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with Harry, he needed to move on already dammit.

“The fact that she’s still coming after everything he has, after what she put him and their kid through, is despicable, not to mention that she tried to claim false abuse to this new judge again, despite it having already been dismissed in the First Appointment – it boggles the mind,” Louis shook his head, disgust clear on his face.

“Well, she’s not getting it all and, at this rate, I think it’s looking good for the custody battle to go in our favour, what with the evidence we supplied to the court in Mike’s favour,” Harry offered, moving to lean his weight against the stone banister beside Louis. He wasn’t sure if the other man would be annoyed by the proximity, but he’d gone for a long run early that morning and his legs were killing him.

“Yeah, you’re right... it just pisses me off so much that she’s even getting _anything_ out of this divorce, she shouldn’t be allowed to be awarded any of Mike’s money,” Louis complained, gesturing with his hands, cigarette carefully balanced between two nimble fingers. Harry quickly looked away from the other man’s hands.

This was getting ridiculous, his levels of sexual frustration were way out of control, not to mention his Louis fixation. _It’s never going to happen. It’s never going to happen._ Maybe if he kept saying it to himself it’d actually begin to sink in.

As Louis, unusually talkative around Harry for some odd reason, continued to complain and grumble about the opposition and ‘too callous judges’, Harry made a mental note to make plans with Nick and some of their other friends like Pixie and Ed; he needed to go out. He needed to pull and move the fuck on. It was ridiculous that he was _still_ so bloody hung up on one stupid stolen kiss.

~x~

“ _Harry?_ ”

Harry looked up from his spot slumped against a wall a little bit down from where he’d fled the nearby club, its thumping music still audible from out here on the street, to see that Niall, of all people, was approaching him.

“Niall? What’re you doing here?” Harry asked, confused, raking back his long, tangled hair out from where it hung like a curtain over most of his face.

“The same could be asked of you, mate,” Niall said, raising his eyebrows at the fact that Harry was sat on the filthy pavement, knees drawn up to his chest (which was quite the feat in his sinfully skin-tight trousers).

“Hey, unless you’re not telling me something, that there is a gay bar,” Harry pointed out, doing his best to pull himself together more and come across more like his usual easy-going self. He clearly wasn’t fooling Niall much though, as the other man then just shook his head, before moving to sit right down beside him.

“I was actually at a restaurant nearby, but my date felt sick so I called her a taxi and then decided to come ‘round here to the clubs to maybe get a drink or two – didn’t want the whole night to be a bust,” Niall explained himself.

“Ooh, a date? You never told me you were seeing anyone,” Harry said, sitting up a little straighter, keen for the distraction Niall was providing, as well as genuinely interested in his friend’s life. “Do I know her?”

“Yup, it’s still kind of new though – well formally at least,” Niall supplied, before pausing and regarding Harry critically, as if testing him. Harry offered an awkward smile in response, which seemed to do the trick as Niall then admitted, “It’s Jenny.”

Harry had to work hard at stopping his jaw from just blatantly dropping. “What, no way! Congrats, Ni! Does Louis know?”

“Well, that’s the thing... he doesn’t. We’re trying to see how things go before we tell him – we’re not too sure how he’ll react just yet. I swear he considers her as good as an honorary sister of his,” Niall admitted sheepishly, before then bumping his shoulder into Harry’s. “Now tell me, why’re you sat out here in the cold?”

Harry regarded Niall himself now, before letting out a deep sigh, his entire attempt at a mask just slipping, as he brought his hands back up to shove his hair out of his face properly.

“I’m an idiot is why. A complete bloody idiot.”

Niall frowned, but shook his head. “Now that’s not true. I haven’t known you for all that long, Harry, but still, I must beg to differ with you, you’re not an idiot.”

“Yeah? Then why did I just go all runaway bride on a bloke when he kissed me, after having danced with him all evening? Lord knows I’d been aiming for a lot more, yet just that scared me off.”

“Um...” Niall began, his eyes having widened somewhat, making Harry suddenly all too aware of the fact that he and Niall hadn’t ever really spoken like this before. He’d just had quite a lot to drink and was upset; maybe he was pushing their friendship too far too soon.

“I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about it,” Harry groaned apologetically, dragging the palms of his hands down his face.

“No, Harry, it’s perfectly fine. We’re friends, what are friends for, yeah? You’re clearly upset and I wanna help, however I can,” Niall was quick to assure him. “You can tell me anything, okay?”

Harry looked back at the blond, torn. Niall had so readily trusted him and told him about Jenny and himself, so surely Harry kind of owed it to him to trust him in turn? But at the same time, Harry was also terrified of losing Niall as a friend, if he told him about everything.

“Do you know why?” Niall asked, prompting Harry when the brunet took a while to respond. “Why you ran off?”

Harry winced as he looked back at the other man, knowing it was now or never and that he just had to man up and tell Niall.

“Niall...”

“Yeah?”

“It’s Louis. We, uh, we dated. We dated when we were younger, but then I-I fucked it all up and we hadn’t seen each other for years, but when I got the job offer and found out Louis worked for Payne, Malik and Associates, I thought, well, I thought I could try again and, uh, win him back – he was still single and it seemed perfect, but I just, well, I... I just fucked it all up again anyway.”

Harry was sure his eyes were wide open, he could feel his heart thumping nervously, worried about Niall’s reaction to it all, but was also met with a great sense of relief at coming clean to Niall, for no longer keeping all this from him.

Instead of looking shocked or surprised though, Niall just nodded, a sad smile curving his lips.

“What? You’re not surprised?!”

“Louis already told me,” Niall admitted with a nod of his head. “Though I didn’t know about the whole ‘trying to win him back’ thing.”

“Oh... and you don’t hate me?” Harry asked, big green eyes widening even more.

“No, Harry,” Niall shook his head, smile confused. “Why would you think that?”

“’Cause you’re his best mate and I broke his heart,” Harry mumbled guiltily.

“That was a long time ago, Harry, before I knew either of you and it had nothing to do with me.”

“Did he tell you that I kissed him though, just a couple weeks ago?” Harry asked, prompting Niall’s eyebrows to raise a little as he shook his head. “Well I did. That’s why I ran off earlier when I kissed that guy. I was trying to move on, get over Louis – ‘cause Lord knows how many times he’s told me he wants nothing to do with me – but then all I could think about was how much better it had been kissing Louis, how no one else compared... How, how much I... I…”

Harry just shook his head, the realisation of what he’d been trying to avoid admitting to himself for so long now, undeniable and hitting him like a literal arrow to the chest – hard and painful – as he buried his face in his hands and Niall let out a low whistle.

“Oh God, Niall, I’m in love with him. I don’t think I ever fell out of love with him – I just tried to ignore it, but now I just can’t seem to anymore. Oh God. Oh God, I’m in love with Louis and he wants nothing to do with me.”

Niall moved to wrap a comforting arm around Harry’s shoulders. “Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that – that Louis wants nothing to do with you,” Niall tried to point out, thinking of the way Louis had been acting ever since Harry had joined the firm and so therefore re-entered his life.

“Doubtful,” Harry muttered in disagreement. “I mean, he said exactly that to me.”

“Yeah, but, well, you know Lou – no doubt better than I probably do – and he’s a bit of a hothead and too often lets his emotions get the better of him. He doesn’t always mean exactly what he says. And, if you ask me, I don’t exactly think it’s a lost cause either, your whole ‘win him back’ scheme,” Niall pointed out gently, offering Harry an encouraging smile, as the brunet lifted his head from his hands, a confused scowl on his face.

“You don’t?”

“No. It’s obvious now that I know it and I don’t know how I never noticed it for myself, the fact that the pair of you have history. I just, I never thought, well... For as long as I’ve known Louis he’s never done the whole ‘boyfriend’ thing, but rather just gone down the route of nameless one nightstands. When I spoke to him about it, he always used to just go on some spiel about how romance was dead and love only fleeting, something I doubt being a solicitor specialised in the divorce side of Family Law helped much.

“But then the other night he told me about the two of you and what happened and how he’d had his heart broken and suddenly it all made sense, the way he was, I should have figured it out sooner. And then the way he reacted to seeing you that first day, I’ve never seen him like that...

“Look, Harry, he’s hurt but, he reacts so strongly to you and the way he behaves... honestly, I don’t think he’s over you either.”

Harry frowned in concentration, trying to process Niall’s words, and, despite his mind’s guarded desire to be doubtful about it all, his heart still gave a hopeful lurch.

“Have you tried talking to him about it?” Niall pushed gently.

“’Course, except, like I said, he’s not interested. He doesn’t want to know what I have to say and doesn’t care about the fact that I’m so sorry about what happened all those years ago...”

“Yes, but have you told him how you feel? About the fact that you love him and took the job because of him – to win him back?”

“Well, um, uh, n-no. No, I haven’t. But I’m also not sure how he’d take the fact that I purposefully moved to the firm ‘cause I knew he worked there, in an attempt to try get him back...”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out, yeah? I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? If you really do love him, why not fight for him?”

Harry shook his head in disbelief, before just moving to pull Niall into a proper hug.

“Hey, I’m not saying it’s a failsafe plan, or that he’ll take you back. Just that if you really want it, you’re gonna have to fight for it, especially if the stubborn git you’re arse over elbows for is Louis. He’s certainly not the easiest at times, and I feel like this is definitely one of those times.”

“No, I know, I just... Thank you, Niall. Thanks for being... well, for being you,” Harry said earnestly, the combination of all the emotions running through him, not to mention all the liquor and the realisation that he was definitely in love with Louis, meaning he was struggling to hold back tears.

“It’s alright, just... don’t hurt him again, yeah? If the two of you do end up getting back together, don’t hurt him,” Niall asked, his voice suddenly more stern and serious, reflecting that he really did mean it. “He’s my best mate and I really worry about him. I know he can be a difficult prick when he wants to, but just be patient with him.”

“I promise, Ni, I promise.”

“Also, maybe wait till you’re properly sober again before you go talk to him.”

Harry pulled back to look at Niall with mock offense (how did the blond already know him so well?!). “You don’t seriously think I was gonna just head straight over to his now, do you?”

“Hey,” Niall shrugged, “ One does silly things when they’re drunk and in love.”

“More like drunk _on_ love,” Harry said, before “Oi!” when Niall then shoved him playfully, rolling his eyes at him.

“Definitely wait till you’re sober.”

~x~

Harry was deathly nervous the next day, as he walked up the steps which led to Louis’ flat’s front entrance, looking at the numbers on the door and trying to remember which belonged to him.

He couldn’t quite believe he was actually doing this (or that he’d even managed to find Louis’ place again). He’d woken up that morning, having gone home when Niall helped get him a cab and he’d texted Nick and the others to tell them he’d left, with a throbbing headache, but a mind that had still been made up.

He was going to fight for Louis.

After ringing his buzzer and waiting quite a while, he suddenly heard a crackle of sound before a tinny version of Louis’ voice came through. “’lo?”

Okay, good, well, maybe... Harry wasn’t too sure whether or not he was pleased or upset that the other man was actually home, his hands felt sweaty as he rubbed them against his skinny jean clad thighs and replied. “H-hi, um, Louis? It’s Harry...”

There was an uncomfortable pause, before Louis finally replied with a rather annoyed sounding, “What do you want?”

“To talk to you, please?”

This time he didn’t take as long to reply. “What if I have absolutely no desire to talk to _you?_ ”

“C’mon, Louis, please? I’ll wait out here if I have to, I really need to talk to you.”

There was another, fairly lengthy pause, which had Harry starting to prepare himself for spending however long he needed to, sat outside Louis posh flat (he wasn’t about to give up now), before he suddenly then heard an irritated sigh and, not too much later, a key in the door. And then, there Louis stood, scowling away and looking no doubt as fierce as possible, opening the door for Harry.

Harry’s eyes quickly took in the sight of Louis in a pair of soft-looking, grey cotton joggers, which were rather low slung, and well-worn navy jumper, his feet bare and toffee-coloured hair for once lying flat, soft fringe sweeping cross his forehead and thick rimmed glasses framing his pretty blue eyes. He resembled the Louis Harry knew all those years ago, so much more now than he had since reacquainting with him and he could feel his heart throb with the warm memories and regret, just at the mere sight of him.

“Well then, come inside, yeah? Don’t want to cause a scene in the bloody street or where me neighbours can see,” Louis grumbled, before ushering Harry in and shutting the door behind him.

Harry then followed after him silently as he led the way to his own flat’s door (and if Harry’s eyes lingered a little too long on the round curve of Louis’ bum in the soft, grey cotton of his trackie bottoms, he could hardly be blamed).

“So, what is it, Harry? What do you have to say now?” Louis was quick to the chase, as soon as he’d closed his flat’s door behind them, his voice sounding short and eyes narrowed, as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and raised a challenging eyebrow at the taller man.

Harry’s hands were still clammy and the loud beating of his heart was ringing in his ears, so he felt he could hardly be blamed for his own straightforward answer, the words just slipping from him. “I love you.”

Louis’ face was a picture, his hard expression dropping along with his jaw, before he quickly managed to pull himself together and compose himself, a deep frown creasing a line between his eyebrows.

“What the fuck, Harry?! No you don’t.”

“I do though,” Harry shook his head insistently. “I honestly love you, I don’t think I ever stopped doing so in fact.”

“Oh piss off,” Louis waved him off, looking distinctly annoyed and shaking his head in disbelief.

“It’s true! After everything that happened between us, I tried to pretend and move on, but the thing is, I never really could; I could never get over you. Now, seeing you again after all this time? Lou, I still feel the same about you. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head and, after we kissed the other night, well, I can’t stop thinking about it and how much I want to do it again.”

Louis tried opening his mouth then, guard up and frown still in place, but Harry just kept on speaking, wanting to just get it all out and wanting him to understand.

“And I’m just so sorry about what happened between us all those years ago, the way I handled it all... I ‘ve never regretted anything so much in my life and I just wish I could go back in time and try and fix it all.”

“Yeah, well, you’re about a good several years or so too late,” Louis managed to point out, before Harry could continue.

He was pissed off and annoyed that Harry even had the audacity to come disturb him on a Sunday morning to dredge all of this up again when he had no business doing so. It had been Harry who’d ruined everything, yet now, all these years later, he thought he could just come and say he loved him? Louis had moved on, dammit. He didn’t need this shit; everything had been so much better before Harry had come barrelling back into his life.

“I was just so scared though, Louis. You were so damn excited and I couldn’t bear to ruin it for you. I just... I just needed the independence, needed to be further away from home and Mum – to stop being babied and to live a little. I was also just... scared of us. Scared that I didn’t know who I was without you. I knew that if I went to York with you, we’d spend literally every waking moment together and I just couldn’t see that being healthy.

“All I’d ever known was you – you were my first everything – I’d never known anyone but you. I was still so young – we both were – and I felt I needed to try and establish more of my own identity, try and be my own person for a change and not _just_ Anne’s son or Louis Tomlinson’s boyfriend. I wanted to be able to stand alone. I never meant for us to break up, or anything that happened. I didn’t want to break your heart,” Harry admitted, looking at Louis pleadingly, hoping he understood. “I thought, maybe after uni...“ he trailed off, Louis shaking his head.

“Yeah, well, you did, Harry. You fucking broke my heart and the least you could’ve done was not lie to me – to my face – but rather tell me the truth; tell me what was going through your mind.” Louis’ guard was dropping and he seemed sadder now than angry. Harry just hoped it meant he was getting through to the other man and that Louis understood he’d never done it to be cruel; he’d just been so young and confused...

“I know, Louis, I know that now, but like I said, I was just so scared of shattering that all for you, because of my own selfish needs. I was terrified of one day maybe just waking up and wondering what could’ve been, or worse, resenting you. I was just so damn dependant on you and knew that, in the long run, it was unlikely to end up well. It sounds corny to say it, but I needed to find myself first. I needed to spend time on myself and find out exactly what I truly wanted out of life as my own person.”

Louis just groaned, going over to collapse on the couch, his elbows on his knees and fingers lifting up the frames of his glasses as they massaged his temples, while his eyes stared down at his toes on the timber flooring. “Harry, why are you doing this? Why are you doing this now? Why dredge up the past?”

“Because, Louis, like I told you, I love you. I never stopped and, what I really want in this life, is to be with you.”

At that, Louis looked back up to regard Harry, his brows drawing somewhat together, but expression otherwise unreadable. “Yeah? But then doesn’t that just mean everything that happened back then, you lying to and abandoning me, breaking my heart, was all for nothing?”

“Well, no, I don’t think so. We’ve had time apart and been able to grow and mature, to become our own people. We’re not exactly the same people we were then and no longer so dependent on one another, at least not in the same way. We’re our own people now, which, I believe, is far healthier; one can’t rely so heavily on their partner that they neglect who they are as their own person.”

Harry wasn’t quite sure if what exactly he was trying to say was really getting through to the other man the way he wanted to, if he was saying it right; but he just hoped Louis would understand what he was trying to get through to him.

“We’ve both had time – perhaps even too much of it now – to be ourselves and figure things out on our own. But now I know, without a doubt, that it’s you, Louis. You’re the only person I want and who I’d like to start a new chapter of my life with... I can’t even begin to imagine loving anyone else. It’s always just been you for me, and now there’s no longer any doubt in my mind about it – I’ve tried living without you and now I know that I can, but that... I don’t want to.

“I want to be with you. Be properly reacquainted with you and learn all the things about you that have changed and those that have not; be given a chance to love you properly for the man you’ve become, as well as the boy you were. I’m so sorry about what happened in the past and... I promise I’ll spend every day you’ll give me, showing you just how sorry I am and that I honestly never did stop loving you, no matter what I tried to tell myself.”

Louis gnawed on his bottom lip, azure eyes critical in the way they seemed to be analysing Harry, processing everything he’d said, while his expression still remained completely unreadable.

Harry swallowed uncomfortably, trying to subtly wipe his hands on his jeans again, as he tried to ignore the nervous thumping of his heart, which had only seemed to increase. He’d told Louis everything he’d needed and wanted to. All he could really do now was stand and wait, hoping that Louis believed him and would take him back.

When Louis then got up after a bit, the room having remained almost deathly silent save for the muffled sounds of traffic and pedestrians outside filtering into the flat, Harry could’ve sworn he felt his heart in his throat, so damn anxious about what was about to happen. About whether or not Louis would be able to forgive him.

Louis let out a deep breath, before slowly shaking his head once and then meeting Harry’s wide green eyes. His pupils were wide, but Louis doubted it had to do with anything but the obvious anxiety Louis could practically smell on him. He’d caught the way Harry had been wiping his hands nervously against his jeans, an old tick of his that Louis had once known well.

The sight reminded him of that day, all those years ago, when a far younger Harry than the one who stood in front of him now, had come straight up to him at the end of a school day, while Louis was dumping some of his books in his lockers, and outright asked him on a date. It had taken him by such surprise, the sheer confidence of the younger boy, even though he’d been able to see him wiping trembling hands on his school trousers then as well. He’d been won over nearly instantly, Harry’s cute dimples and chocolaty curls also quickly grabbing his interest.

In a way, it all felt quite fitting then, when he walked the last few steps up to Harry and said, “I swear to God though, if you make me regret this...”

“I won’t, I promise,” Harry quickly shook his head, the dark strands of hair which had escaped his obnoxious man bun, swayed to the sides and emphasised the movement, those wide green eyes seemingly even more open as he took in Louis’ proximity, their viridescent depths pulling him in even more.

Louis pushed up onto the balls of his feet, so that he could bring their lips together in admittedly not the most gentle of kisses, while his arms came up to wrap around Harry’s neck, pulling him down a bit for a better reach, their bloody height difference now made all the more apparent. He’d be lying if he said that the way Harry had to bend down, so that his own feet could flatten back out on the floor while they kissed, didn’t turn him on beyond belief.

Harry’s mouth easily opened up to him, as he then pushed his tongue through, the other man’s mouth warm and responsive to him, as the taller man wasted no time in then going ahead and suckling on his tongue. Louis couldn’t help the breathy moan it pulled from him, the sensation something he’d always especially enjoyed and, judging by the way Harry then hummed in response, something the other man hadn’t really forgotten either.

Louis kissed him back more fiercely after that, unable to help his ever competitive edge, as he raked his fingers through Harry’s tied back hair and began to twist them in that damn hipster bun, picking at it in an attempt to free Harry’s dark tresses, until he succeeded, dropping the hair elastic as the waves of chocolaty hair cascaded down to Harry’s shoulders. He didn’t waste much time burying his hands in the thick, tangled strands, while his mouth pushed harder against Harry’s. He wouldn’t be surprised if they both came away from this with battered and bruised lips.

Harry just groaned in response, voice deep and rich, caught between wanting to lean into the feel of Louis’ fingers scratching his scalp and the firm press of his lips and tongue, which was currently tangling with his own.

Louis had always been a rather feisty kisser and Harry gladly welcomed it, his large hands, which had sat heavily in the slight curves of his waist, moved lower and backwards, sliding along his curves, which were firmer than he remembered but just as good, before clutching onto Louis’ arse and pulling upwards. Louis got the hint and, grunting a bit into the kiss, allowed Harry to pull him up, his strong legs then wrapping around the taller man’s hips, their lips remaining sealed.

It wasn’t like Harry hadn’t ever picked Louis up in the past when they were younger, but this was different, Harry was stronger and broader and all encompassing as he seemingly surrounded Louis. The new angle also allowed him to now be the one leaning down into the kiss, hands cupping either side of Harry’s face as he trusted the other man and his own legs’ firm grip to keep holing him up.

It took him a moment then to realise Harry had moved, before he found himself pressed between Harry and the wall, the impact causing him to break the kiss as he then looked down at Harry through his now slightly fogged up and smudged glasses, panting and heart racing wildly, thudding away in his chest. Harry looked back up at him, lips already red and plumper than usual from kissing and pupils blown, as he too panted roughly, their noses mere inches apart.

“Fuck.” It was all Louis could get out, as ineloquent as it was. He felt breathless and incredibly reckless, but at the same time like an impossible weight he hadn’t realised he’d been carrying around, had been lifted from him. He could feel Harry, hot and hard against his arse, while he himself was in a similar state, pressed up against the other man’s middle. “Fuck,” he said again, an uncontrollable smile breaking out across his face.

“Yeah,” Harry grinned back softly, using the support of the wall to his advantage as he lifted one of his hands to instead gently rub his thumb over the crinkles that had formed in the corner of Louis eyes, lifting his glasses up a bit in the process. “I’ve missed this smile. I’ve missed you. So much,” Harry said, punctuating each sentence with a firm peck to Louis’ lips. “Love you.”

Louis just grinned back, shifting to wrap his arms around Harry’s neck, before rolling his hips into the other man, tightening his thighs’ hold, as he bit down coyly on his bottom lip, before letting it pop free as he watched Harry’s pupils expand impossibly even more.

He wasn’t surprised then when Harry pushed forward to kiss him fiercely again, flattening him back against the wall, as his big, warm hands then shifted to push Louis’ jumper up, taking his tee with, as he then yanked it upwards. Louis trusted Harry had him balanced well enough as he lifted his arms up above his head, legs still anchored around the other man’s hips and body pressed against the wall.

The broad warmth of his palms sliding up his sensitive, bare sides, had Louis unconsciously sucking in his stomach and groaning to himself, as Harry dragged his jumper and tee off together, their lips breaking apart as he moved to pull them over his head, Louis closing his eyes in response, before he felt the material pop off over his head, along with his glasses, which clattered to the ground. Honestly, in that moment, he couldn’t even bring himself to care.

When he opened his eyes again, it was to find Harry staring at him with something that, if he was not entirely mistaken and allowed himself to believe it, resembled awe. His insides squirmed with warmth, as he just allowed his head to thump backwards against the wall with a dull _thud_. He could barely think clearly, or breathe properly, his heart hammering away, as he was positive all the blood in his body rushed south.

As Harry looked back at Louis, he couldn’t quite believe all this was really happening and that it wasn’t just some cruel dream. His toffee-coloured hair now stood up in crazy tufts thanks to the static from Harry having pulled off his top, while also leaving Louis’ torso now bare to his hungry eyes, which greedily drank in the sight. He wanted to spread him out though, get a better look, worship and reacquaint himself with Louis’ body and physically show him what he meant when he said he loved him.

As if able to read his thoughts, Louis nudged his head in the direction away from where they’d come. “Bedroom’s the one on the left.”

Harry pressed another firm kiss to Louis’ lips, while the shorter man’s arms wrapped around his neck again and he hoisted him back away from the wall and in the direction Louis had indicated. Louis wasn’t exactly light, but then Harry wasn’t exactly weak either, he just knew though, that his arms would no doubt ache the following day, something he certainly didn’t mind.

He got Louis to the bedroom easily enough, before then laying him out on his own large bed, which took up most of the room. A quick glance at his surrounds showed that not much had really changed in certain aspects of Louis’ character, the floor scattered with a mess of discarded clothing and anything but tidy. He couldn’t resist raising an eyebrow at the other man though.

“Hey, it’s not like I had any idea this was gonna happen,” Louis said a tad defensively, waving his hands between them and most definitely bringing back the fact that he was shirtless to Harry’s attention, all that lightly tanned skin (no doubt thanks to Spring only now beginning to show itself) laid bare before him.

“I don’t really mind,” Harry hummed, before leaning down to kiss the touchy quirk to Louis’ lips away. It didn’t take too long before the other man was readily kissing him back, those fingers once more knotting in Harry’s long hair. For someone who claimed to dislike his hair so much, Louis sure seemed to struggle keeping his hands away from it.

His hands remained tangled in the soft strands, even when Harry left his lips to instead kiss along Louis’ strong jawline, occasionally dragging his teeth along the scruff Louis had allowed to grow there after their last court date. As Harry’s full lips moved lower, continuing down Louis’ throat, the other man opened up more for him, exposing his throat to Harry’s mouth.

When Harry had begun to suck along his pulse point, however, he felt Louis tug sharply on some of the strands of his dark hair he still had his hands buried in. “N-no marks. Court.”

His voice sounded breathy and had gained that somewhat higher pitched, yet scratchy quality that Harry had once known all too well and went straight to his already impossibly hard dick, which still remained trapped in his (now unbearably) tight jeans.

Harry dragged his lips lazily back up Louis’ jaw, before pulling back to ask, “What about where they won’t be seen?”

Louis cursed under his breath, the azure of his eyes barely visible around his widely blown pupils as he then nodded. “ _Fuck_ , y-yeah. Yeah, sure.”

Harry couldn’t resist planting another kiss to Louis’ already kiss-swollen lips, which the smaller brunet chased after when he drew back. Harry just winked, to which Louis rolled his pretty eyes, before returning where he’d left off and kissed down to the dip at the base of Louis’ throat, before then latching onto one of his pronounced collarbones, sucking until the blood beneath rushed to the surface in a fresh, red love bite.

“So fucking sexy,” Harry breathed against the damp skin, smirking to himself then when he saw goosebumps begin to rise and spread along Louis’ rapidly flushing skin.

When Harry moved on to suck more love bites into Louis’ silky skin, nuzzling against the sparse tufts of soft hair that grew and swirled between his pecs, he could feel the way Louis squirmed beneath him, his hips especially wriggly and no doubt looking for some form of friction for him to rub up against. Harry smirked smugly, but decided to take some pity on the other man, moving one of his hands to slide down the front of Louis’ abdomen, his skin hot and somewhat clammy beneath him, stomach muscles pulled taught, before Harry just went straight ahead and cupped Louis over the soft cotton of his sweatpants.

“Holy shit _. Fuck_ ,” Louis whined, digging his head back against his pillows and hands dropping from Harry’s hair to instead grip the duvet beneath him, as Harry began to apply some pressure, eyes now focusing on Louis’ slack-jawed expression.

“That good?” Harry asked coyly through his dark lashes, when he dug the heel of his hand against where he could feel the base of Louis’ cock was, eliciting another needy whine from the man beneath him.

“What do you think?” Louis asked, dark eyes focusing on Harry’s equally darkened ones, his hard cock pressing insistently against Harry’s palm hotly through his joggers and chest flushed with arousal.

Harry just chuckled, ducking back down as he moved lower down Louis body, to nuzzle his face against the soft skin of his stomach, Louis’ abs far more pronounced than he’d ever seen them in the past. Louis’ whole body was in fact far leaner and more toned than he recalled from when they were teens.

“God, you’re torturing me, I swear,” Louis groaned, as Harry began to nip and suck at the skin there now too, much like he had when they were younger. He’d always had a bit of a fixation with Louis’ tummy and part of him missed the soft pudge of the small belly he’d had.

“Miss your little tummy,” he couldn’t help saying when he pulled away to observe his work, pink blotches blossoming all along the caramel skin of Louis torso and around his belly button.

“Oi, I’ll have you know I work hard for these abs,” Louis pouted back in response reaching down to rub his hands down said abs.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, they’re very sexy,” Harry nodded, removing his hand from the front of Louis’ sweatpants, to instead encircle his delicate wrists with both of his hands, so that he could press Louis’ hands into the bedding, either side of him. Louis just raised an eyebrow curiously, allowing Harry to do so easily enough.

Harry grinned back, allowing his top teeth to graze over the lush curve of his full bottom lip, before he then moved his hands to the top of Louis’ trousers’ elastic, fingers curling beneath. Before doing anything else though, he paused to look at Louis for permission. The other man just nodded, his eyes fixed on Harry.

So without any more preamble, Harry peeled them down, not entirely surprised but pleased nonetheless to find he was bare beneath when Louis’ thick cock sprung free, while Harry focused on freeing him of his sweatpants, which he then tossed carelessly onto the floor to join the rest of the discarded clothing that already lay there, before returning his attention to Louis’ groin.

Harry wasted no time then in licking the broad palm of his hand, before reaching out for Louis’ rigid dick, the other man cursing, as he wrapped his hand around the thick base of him, while he licked is lips, saliva already beginning to pool at the back of his mouth in anticipation.

“Jesus, it’s like you’re straight out of a porno,” Louis shook his head, as he looked down the length of his bare body to stare at Harry in what could only be defined as wonder.

“Only your own, personal one,” Harry said with a wiggle of his eyebrows and, really, shouldn’t have been that surprised when he felt the heel of one of Louis’ feet connect with his bum. “Oi, ouch!”

Louis just rolled his eyes, but couldn’t hold back a grin when Harry smiled affectionately back at him. It felt strange, yet incredible, that after all this time they could still connect the same way, sex by no means ever having been too serious an affair with them, both always up for a giggle and some fun. He’d never really been able to find what the two of them were able to share with anyone else and was over the moon that they could still reconnect the same way and hadn’t lost it.

Before wasting anymore time then, Harry moved forward to lick a wet stripe up the underside of Louis’ cock which wasn’t covered by his fist, before just wrapping his mouth around the flushed head, lips pushing his foreskin down and exposing the sensitive skin beneath to Harry’s tongue.

Louis couldn’t hold back a needy whimper then when he felt Harry drag the tip of his tongue through his slit, making his thighs tremble from where they’d moved to drape around the other man. It was a struggle to strain his neck in order for him to watch Harry, as the taller brunet then began to start sucking him off properly.

After a while he gave up and found himself staring up at his bedroom ceiling, unable to believe that this was all actually happening. When he had gone to bed the previous evening, staring up at the very same ceiling, he hadn’t had a clue that this was what lay in his future, Harry’s mouth around him and pulling a variety of all sorts of breathy moans from him, his fingers having returned to lace into Harry’s thick mane of dark curls.

When Harry began to squeeze and pump his hand along with his mouth’s movements, however, and that familiar tingle of searing heat began to build up at the base of his spine, he knew he had to stop Harry before he came. He didn’t want to come quite so soon, he hadn’t even really gotten his own hands on Harry, the other brunet still fully dressed, while he was already completely naked himself.

“Haz. Haz, stop. Don’t wanna come like this,” Louis urged, tugging at Harry’s hair, until the other brunet pulled off of him with a confused look, his dark waves of hair a wild, tangled mess around his head thanks to Louis hands and already kiss-swollen lips now also slick with saliva and Louis’ precome. “Christ, look at you.”

It took nearly all of Louis’ self-control then to shift out from under Harry, the other man watching him quizzically, unsure of why Louis had stopped him.

“You’re not even undressed yet, I’ve barely touched you,” Louis tried to explain as he moved to kneel, Harry copying his position. “Besides, need me lips on you.”

And then Louis was kissing him again, much like he had in the beginning, forceful and demanding, as he pushed Harry backwards and moved to straddle him, muscular thighs framing the other man’s slim hips, not once relinquishing Harry’s mouth from his own, fingers already beginning to undo the coat Harry still had on.

“Here, lemme help,” Harry managed around Louis’ lips, pushing him a bit back so he could sit up, leaving Louis now in his lap. “God, you’re sexy.” The words then just seemed to slip from him as the sight of Louis, completely naked on his lap, while he himself was still entirely dressed still, distracted him.

“Not too bad yourself, but still: too many layers,” Louis grinned, pretending he couldn’t feel the way his cheeks had heated at the other man’s words, while he helped Harry then make quick work of his clothes and shoes and left them on a more equal footing. “Well damn, look at you, someone really wasn’t scared of the tattoo gun,” Louis shook his head once they’d finished, eyes taking in all the ink that Harry had accumulated over the years on his body, concentrated mainly on his left arm and torso. Harry had a large bloody butterfly tattooed over his diaphragm for God’s sake!

“Hey, I can’t help but notice you ended up not really being either,” Harry pointed out himself, once more on his back with Louis hovering over him, as he reached out to run a finger tip along the curling script which spanned below Louis’ collarbones. “‘It is what it is’.”

“Hmm,” Louis hummed not wanting to mention the fact that he’d gotten that particular piece of ink work not too long after their spilt; they could always go through their tattoos and their meanings (or lack there of, as was the case with many of his) another day, but for now he felt they’d had enough serious talk for the day, besides, they were both painfully hard and could do with some relief. “What do you want?” he than asked, nuzzling his face into the crook of Harry’s neck and breathing his scent in. Coconut, fancy cologne and a hint of fresh sweat, as well as what could only be described as distinctly ‘Harry’. He smelt incredible. He always had.

“Wanna make you come,” Harry said, reaching down between them to wrap his hand around Louis again and causing him to try and wriggle away, resulting in a pout on Harry’s part.

“I wanna make you feel good too, Haz,” Louis tried to explain, having caught Harry’s larger hand in his own to get his attention.

Harry sucked the inside of his cheek thoughtfully, full pupils scanning over Louis carefully, before he glanced towards Louis’ beside table and then back at him again. “You got stuff?”

“Stuff?” Louis asked, brows furrowing a little as he sat back on Harry’s thighs, hands resting on the slight curves of his love handles and gave a gentle squeeze. Part of him could understand Harry’s little fixation with his tummy, if it was anything like the way he’d always felt about the little podgy deposits on Harry’s sides, which had always contrasted so sweetly to his toned abs, and he was endlessly pleased to see had more or less remained.

“You know, condoms? Lube? Want you to fuck me,” Harry said, flushing slightly, as he moved his own hands to rest atop Louis’ and give a squeeze of their own.

“Oh, _stuff_ ,” Louis said with a mischievous grin, trying to focus his own flustered state from Harry’s words on teasing him, hoping to hide and ignore the way his heart rate seemed to pick up again at the mere mention. He only hoped Harry hadn’t seen the way his dick had also twitched. “What’re you, still sixteen?” he scrunched his nose playfully and received a smack to his flank for his efforts.

“So, do you? Yes or no? I mean, we don’t have to...”

“No, Haz, it’s chilled, I want to, too. And yeah, I’ve got,” he nodded before moving to get up off of Harry and the bed and heading over to his built-in cupboard where he kept a stash in one of the drawers. He could feel Harry’s gaze, hot on his naked body, while he dug around, before returning with a foil packet and a purple bottle. “This good?” he asked, climbing back up onto the bed.

“Yup,” Harry nodded, making grabby hands at Louis and prompting him to respond by moving up Harry’s body to kiss him.

Now that Harry was equally naked beneath him, Louis was all the more aware of the ways in which Harry’s body had changed and grown since last they’d been together like this. He’d always known Harry would eventually outgrow him in height, but the other man had also grown broader, with strong shoulders and a body he obviously took care of in the gym, his arms undoubtedly thicker and more muscled than Louis’ (who preferred cardio far more to any weightlifting, which Harry obviously indulged in).

And his bloody hands, they were just so big, their weight warm and oddly comforting as they slid up and down Louis’ body, while he reached blindly for the lube and popped the cap, so that he could wet his first three fingers on his right hand.

“You sure ‘bout this?” he asked against Harry’s mouth, their hot breath mingling.

“Yeah, definitely,” Harry assured him, moving his long legs so that the heels of his feet rested against the small of Louis back, hips open.

Louis just nodded, before sealing their lips once more, as he reached down and brushed his fingers between the other man’s arse cheeks, slick fingers then finding their way to at first rub gently against his hole and cause Harry to release a breathy gasp into Louis’ mouth, before he slowly pushed the first finger through the tight ring of muscle. Louis moved at a careful, but efficient pace as he fingered Harry open, the younger man eventually turning his head to the side, unable to hold back the little noises and gasps that Louis drew from him, until eventually he was using all three fingers to stretch him.

“L-Lou, ‘m ready,” Harry then prompted when he couldn’t wait any longer, needing more already, needing Louis to get on with it. He hadn’t been this hard for as long as this in a while, and it was really beginning to take its toll.

Luckily Louis didn’t faff about too much then in getting himself ready, by rolling on the condom and slicking himself up; just as desperate as Harry for them to already be joined. And, before Harry knew it, their eyes were locked, blue on green, as Louis then just pushed slowly in, Harry’s mouth falling open in a silent moan at the stretch.

“You good?” Louis asked when he bottomed out, Harry nodding (perhaps a bit _too_ ) enthusiastically and making them both break out into breathy chuckles. “Fuck, you feel so good, think I’m gonna come embarrassingly quick.”

“S’okay,” Harry smiled up at Louis, lifting a hand to cup the other man’s jaw, his scruff scratching his palm and prompting Louis to lean into the touch as he waited for Harry to give the signal that he’d adjusted enough. “From what I remember you always did tend to come pretty quick anyway,” he couldn’t resist teasing, smile only growing then when Louis gaped back at him in mock offense.

“Oi!” Louis said turning his head to instead nip on Harry’s finger and make him laugh, which only then resulted in them both moaning at what the resulting movement of his body did to where Louis was buried balls deep inside him. This of course only then caused more laughter and so more moaning.

“C’mon, Lou, move,” Harry then managed, both flushed in the face and grinning stupidly at each other. Louis couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much during sex.

Louis’ instincts and muscle memory quickly came into play as he snapped his hips in response, smile turning into more of a smug smirk when it caused Harry to moan loudly, his deep voice and the feeling of his strong, hot body surrounding him, more than enough encouragement for him to repeat the action, his hips soon finding a good rhythm that helped him easily locate Harry’s prostate. The other man’s deep groan and the way he threw his head back a clear indication.

“ _Ungh_ , so hot, Lou, love the noises you make,” Harry panted, alerting Louis of the fact that he’d unknowingly to himself been grunting as he drove himself steadily into the other man.

“Yours are sexier, Haz. So deep. _Fuck_ , you’re so sexy,” Louis panted right back, burying his face in the other man’s neck, breath hot against Harry’s skin and raising goosebumps, while his hips began to stutter a bit.

Harry let out a deep groan when Louis then began to start sucking hard on the junction between his neck and shoulder, his hands dragging down the contours of Louis’ back and up the curve of his arse, which he could feel clench beneath his hands with every thrust. He couldn’t resist giving it a good grope, only for Louis to then bite down reflexively on Harry neck, as his body went rigid with his sudden release.

Harry just stroked his hands back up Louis’ back, the other man having more or less collapsed on top of him now, his skin clammy and shuddering in response due to its now over sensitive state, to then comb through his sweaty strands of hair and push his fringe out of his face.

“Fuck. Sorry,” Louis grumbled, his blush showing through the natural flush he had from exertion, head rested on Harry’s shoulder as he looked up sheepishly at him and tried to quickly pull himself together.

“It’s fine,” Harry chuckled, watching as Louis shifted and moved to pull out as gently as he could, Harry unable to hold back a wince regardless at the sudden feeling of emptiness.

Louis made quick work of pulling off the condom and knotting it, before carelessly dropping it somewhere over the side of the bed. “Gonna just suck you off to make up for coming without you, yeah?” he then said, moving down Harry’s body and fitting between his legs, which spread either side of the smaller brunet.

“Sounds good,” Harry nodded, smiling back, before he then blushed when Louis let out a low whistle as his hand moved to wrap around Harry’s throbbing erection.

“Definitely had a growth spurt down here too, not that you were ever small, mind,” Louis smirked up at Harry, wiggling his eyebrows and making the other man purposefully buck up and laugh when his dick slapped Louis in the face as a result. “Oi, watch it, Styles,” he grumbled, already beginning to slowly and firmly pump his fist.

“You’re still thicker,” Harry shrugged, reaching out with his foot to knock Louis’ softening (and definitely oversensitive, going by the way he squeaked in response) cock for emphasis.

“’Ey! Styles, do you want me to suck you off here or not?” he asked, offering one mighty pout. Harry just pouted right back with his own abused lips.

Louis then rolled his eyes before just moving to sink his mouth over Harry’s cock without another word. From the get-go he was relentless, applying just the right amount of pressure with his tongue and pulling his lips tight around Harry, hands dropping to fondle his balls for an added bonus as he just went to town.

Considering he’d been so hard for so long now, it didn’t take much before Harry was trying to tug Louis away, but when he just received a slap to the thigh in response, he got the message and just let go in Louis mouth, the other brunet readily slurping up every last drop before then pulling off with a wet _pop_ and flopping down backward on the bed with a tired groan.

Harry lay panting away for a bit, before he reached out for Louis and yanked him up into his arms, the pair hot and sweaty, but cuddling close nonetheless. Both had always been cuddlers, the memory bringing a sad smile to Louis’ face as he buried it once more in the crook of Harry’s neck, his scent having changed now to include his own familiar scent and that of their combined sex.

“I really do love you, you know,” Harry mumbled into his mop of damp hair, chin hooked over Louis’ head.

In response, Louis pulled the arm he had thrown over Harry tighter and pressed a kiss to the skin in front of his mouth. He didn’t doubt that he did indeed still love Harry too, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to say it back just quite yet. Harry still had to prove himself and reassure Louis’ now cautious heart.

~x~

Waking up beside Louis Tomlinson, in the unfamiliar surroundings of his room, was truly surreal. Harry couldn’t quite believe it was true. As cliché as it sounded, he still felt like he was dreaming.

After another round or so and spending the rest of the morning getting... reacquainted with one another, at some point they must’ve fallen asleep, the last light of the day now streaming into the room where they both still lay on Louis’ bed.

Harry’s insides squirmed with warmth as he watched Louis, who was still slumbering peacefully on his front, the warm weight of his arm resting over Harry’s stomach, fingers twitching at Harry’s side in his sleep, comforting. The fact that Louis’ face was turned toward him also made Harry smile.

The soft light catching on his scruff and turning it a redder chestnut, caught Harry’s attention and made him subconsciously bring up a hand to gingerly touch the skin around his own lips, which had certainly felt the brunt of said scruff. Harry was all but positive that he was sporting quite the bit of beard burn as a result. Despite this though, he rather liked the look on Louis and, if he was being honest with himself, found that his lips were raw from kissing, pretty hot.

He was torn between wanting to wake Louis, knowing they’d probably slept longer than they should have if they hoped to sleep tonight, which in turn only brought up the question of, well, what now, and then not wanting to disturb him when he looked so damn peaceful. It was probably the first time he’d seen the other man’s features relaxed and peaceful since he’d (admittedly) forced himself back into Louis’ life.

His eyes lazily continued to drift down Louis’ body, the duvet they’d eventually crawled under having oh so generously slipped downwards and so left only just clinging onto the curve of his bum, leaving the sinful slope of his lower back, with those cute dimples Harry loved, and the beginning fullness of said phenomenal bum exposed to Harry’s keen eyes. He admittedly felt a bit creepy for staring at the other man as he slept, but with a sight like that before him, how could he honestly help himself?

In the end, however, his internal debate, of whether or not he should wake the other man, was decided for him when thick lashes began to flutter, before sleepy blue eyes made themselves known, their dreamy, ocean blue quality drawing Harry right in.

“Hi,” he greeted quietly, voice decidedly sleep roughened, as he reached out to brush a strand of Louis’ toffee fringe out of his face in the process of then just cupping his jaw.

Louis leaned into the touch, a sleepy smile spreading across his face and crinkling his eyes at the corners in that way that had always made Harry’s belly all warm with affection, as he croaked back a “Hi” of his own. Harry just smiled back, his thumb rubbing along one of Louis’ sharp cheekbones.

“Hmmm, didn’t mean t‘fall asleep,” Louis yawned. “Sorry.”

“S’all good, I drifted off too,” Harry shrugged, dropping his hand so he could instead just haul Louis over and into his arms properly, the other man squeaking a tad in response, before just snuggling down, half atop Harry.

“Can’t believe we actually shagged. Can’t believe _this_ ,” Louis said after a bit of just listening to the sound of air filling and leaving Harry’s lungs, while his steady heartbeat thudded on beneath his ear.

“Same. ‘m glad though,” Harry hummed, nuzzling his nose into Louis’ mussed hair, a mixture of shampoo, sweat, cigarette smoke and _Louis_ filling his nostrils, before he asked the only thing that was niggling on him now. “So, what now?”

“Dunno,” Louis admitted, while his fingers fiddled idly with the cross and Star of David on the chain Harry wore around his neck. “Just don’t fuck it up.”

“Fair enough,” Harry nodded, before craning his neck so he could peck Louis on the tip of his nose, causing him to scrunch it up cutely. “And I don’t plan on it.”

“Good,” Louis gave a curt nod in response, before shifting to just meet Harry’s lips with his own in a sweet kiss.

“Good,” Harry hummed back, before moving to roll Louis over so that he was now on top of the smaller man instead, his long hair falling about them like a chocolaty cascade of waves. “I just want to make you happy, Lou.”

“Good,” Louis said yet again, making the pair giggle as he strained upwards to kiss Harry’s tender lips again. “Now, wanna order pizza and just never leave the bed? We can watch something on me laptop?”

Harry raised his eyebrows at the suggestion, surprised that Louis didn’t want to get rid of him just yet. He’d been fully expecting to be sent on his way for now.

“Maybe after a shower?” Louis then quickly added when Harry didn’t immediately reply.

“Yeah, Lou, I’d love that,” Harry smiled, before pressing their lips together yet again. It seemed that now they could suddenly kiss each other freely again, neither could keep away.

Louis just hummed happily into the kiss, opening his mouth to deepen it, one of his legs coming up to drape over Harry’s waist to pull him in closer and effectively kicking the duvet the rest of the way off of them.

~x~

“So, you look awfully jolly for a change, Lou. What’s new?” Lottie asked curiously, accepting the cup of tea Louis handed her before he joined her on the couch.

The curve to her full lips was all too knowing though and Louis groaned when he followed her line of sight to the two mugs already sat on the coffee table, one of which contained the last dregs of the coffee Harry had drank earlier. Her smile only grew when she then spotted Louis’ jumper and tee still crumpled in a heap on the floor not too far away.

Not long after Harry had left, Lottie had sporadically decided to pop in for a visit, saying she’d been in the area and was missing her big brother. Needless to say, he’d hardly had much time to clean up, aside from hunting down his glasses.

“Nothing,” he replied stubbornly though, taking a sip of his own fresh cup of tea, ignoring its piping hot state. A lifetime of dedicated tea drinking had gifted him with a fiberglass tongue and hands.

“Oh, c’mon, Lou. You had someone over, didn’t you? You’re hardly a coffee drinker,” she persisted nonetheless and gave a very pointed nod in the direction of Harry’s mug.

He let out a very deep, exasperated sigh of resignation, before just nodding in defeat. “Yeah, alright, I had someone round.”

“Knew it,” she grinned back victoriously, before her expression sobered a little and she raised an eyebrow. “A one night stand again? Or is it actually someone you’re seeing for a change?”

“‘ _Again_ ’? Excuse you, Lotts,” Louis huffed, slightly offended, instead of answering.

“Oh c’mon, Lou, when isn’t it? I can’t remember the last time you actually had a boyfriend or even introduced me to one of your blokes,” she replied rather pointedly. She knew she was right. He did too. Dammit.

“Well it wasn’t, okay. Something, uh, something might actually come from this one,” he said defensively, before taking another big sip.

“Oh?” she asked curiously, face brightening and sitting up a little straighter, her own mug tentatively cradled between her hands. “Tell me about him – what’s he called? What’s he look like? How’d you met?”

“Um, well,” Louis swallowed, suddenly nervous. He wasn’t entirely sure how Lottie would take the news really, as despite having been rather a bit younger, she’d obviously known about Harry and Louis’ teenage romance, but also the cause of their eventual split. “The thing is... you, uh, you already know him? Well at least you did?”

Lottie just looked back at him confusedly, not quite sure what Louis was trying to get at. He sighed again, before just taking the plunge and saying it.

“It’s Harry. Harry Styles, remember him?”

For the first few seconds she just gawped back at him in disbelief, before she shook her head, platinum hair swishing, and managed to compose herself. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Erm, no. It’s him.”

“What the hell, seriously, Louis? How did you even find him again?” she asked, perfectly plucked brows drawing together.

“Well, um, at, uh, work actually? He just showed up a few months ago, as the fancy new hire. Small world, eh?” Louis offered, going in to sip his tea again awkwardly, only to find it now empty.

Lottie just gave him a look, before letting out a sigh, as Louis leant over to put his mug down on the table, prompting her to do the same with her own. “Lou, are you sure this is really such a good idea?” she asked, her voice having changed to a kinder tone, as she reached out to lightly put a hand on his arm.

Louis just frowned. “Yeah, Lotts, I’m an adult, remember? I think I can handle myself,” he huffed, shaking her off.

“Seriously, Louis. I may have only been a kid at the time, but I still remember how badly he broke your heart; you were crushed! And, no offense, but I feel like you never got over it – it’s because of him that you haven’t had another proper relationship since! I don’t know whether you’re even aware of it or not, but it’s obvious you’re scared of getting hurt again, yet who do you now finally go and take a leap for? The same bloke who hurt you in the first place!” Lottie pointed out, upset on Louis’ behalf.

Louis could hardly deny anything she was saying to him, having more or less realised them for himself over the years, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less to hear it and be confronted with the fact that he hadn’t been the only one to notice it. So instead of arguing, he just groaned and buried his face in his hands, pushing his glasses on top of his head.

“Look, Lou, I don’t mean to come across as holier than thou – and we all know I’ve been with a few duds in the past myself – but I worry about you, yeah? I just want you to be happy,” she said, moving to place her hand on his shoulder instead this time and gave it a squeeze. He didn’t shake her off again.

“Yeah, I know, Lotts,” he replied, lifting his head to offer her a weak smile. “And, trust me, I’m all too aware of my past with Harry and will be the first to admit that I was left heartbroken, but...” he shrugged. “There’s just… There’s something about him. There always has been. I think I need to take this chance, instead of maybe one day standing to regret it. We’re both older now – wiser – we’ve made mistakes, but hopefully we have now learnt from them.

“Lotts, it’s the way he makes me feel when I’m with him. I’ve never felt like this about anyone else. No one else has ever brought so much out of me; perhaps that’s also why I never really tried to settle with anyone else. A part of me just could never get over him, you know? Maybe this is our chance, I can’t just pass that up.”

Lottie sighed, knowing her brother’s mind was clearly made up and there would be no talking him out of it. Instead of arguing some more, she moved to pull him into a proper hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Okay, Lou. I understand and it is your life, I just hope you’re making the right decision. Either way though, just know I’m always here for you, yeah?” she pulled away a bit to look at him properly as she asked the last part.

“Thanks, Lotts. Same goes to you,” he smiled at her, giving Lottie a squeeze, before they separated a bit again.

“Now that that’s all done with, let’s discuss what we’re gonna do for Fizz’s trip!”

“Oh, shit, is it this weekend?” Louis swore, having completely forgotten about their younger sister’s upcoming trip to London.

“Yes, Lou, c’mon now, you knew this. You can make plans with your fancy man another time,” she chided, but the smile on her face showed she wasn’t really that upset.

“’Fancy man’? Seriously, Lotts?” Louis couldn’t help ask, making her shrug in response, before they both just burst into silly giggles.

~x~

“Well don’t you just look like the cat that got the bloody cream,” Nick commented as soon as he laid eyes on Harry, having arrived a little late (as usual) to the pub they’d agreed on for drinks and a good ol’ pub dinner.

“You have no idea,” Harry grinned blissfully back, dimples popping, as Nick took the seat opposite from him.

“Hmm, but I think I more or less _do_ have an idea,” Nick pointed out with a smirk, having spotted the still very colourful hickey between Harry’s neck and shoulder, his loose (and barely buttoned) floral shirt doing a piss poor job of hiding it.

Noticing the other man’s pointed look, Harry flushed, tugging his collar to cover it. He’d seen the (literal) love bite in the mirror himself (and maybe stared a little too long) and knew Louis had done quite a number on him, his skin all kinds of interesting colours, the other man’s teeth marks only recently having faded.

“So, anyway, how was work this morning? I didn’t get much of a chance to listen, had court – a big corporate case around groundwater contamination,” Harry then said, blatantly trying to change the topic. He’d already told Nick about Louis and what had happened on Sunday, but, if he knew his best mate (and he did), the other man would no doubt want to pump him for the more ‘juicy’ details of his story.

The hickey on his shoulder had only helped hone Nick right in and give him an easy way to lead into the conversation. Damn Louis and his bloody mouth, even if Harry admittedly found the whole thing incredibly hot. He’d given Louis a matching bite mark on his bum, because – as Harry had explained rightfully so – it was only fair. Plus he’d always wanted to do it.

“Ah-uh, Styles, you’re not getting out of this so easily. C’mon, give us the goss,” Nick grinned (evilly) like the smug bastard Harry knew him to be.

Harry could only groan in defeat, as he wearily eyed the group of nosy pensioners nearby. He knew Nick wasn’t about to let him get out of this. This was also hardly the most appropriate place to discuss his sexual exploits, plus the acoustics were all over the place and if he could catch snippets of the surrounding conversations, he didn’t doubt they were able to do the same to theirs.

“Well...”

~x~

 “And what pray tell took a bite out of you?”

At Liam’s words, Louis froze awkwardly, halfway through pulling on a fresh tee. They had all come off the field a little while ago, after yet another consecutive defeat (they really needed to start rethinking their game plan), and were in the process of getting dressed after washing up, so they could all go round the pub for yet another week’s round of commissary drinks.

“Oh, wow, you’re not kidding, Li, that really is quite the monster Tommo’s sporting!” Niall grinned gleefully, no doubt putting one and one together if the smug look on his face was anything to go by. Louis hastily shoved his tee the rest of the way down and grabbed his jumper.

“I don’t know what you lads are talking about,” Louis huffed, playing ignorant, as he yanked on the grey Adidas top, his damp hair being flattened wonkily in the process and making him automatically try to fix it with his fingers.

He’d forgotten a hairbrush, but instead of popping home to get one before the game, he’d opted to rather spend that time staying a little longer at the office and locking lips with Harry in one of the storage closets. Clearly the other man had left him a little present on his neck in the process. Being with Harry again felt like they’d been transported back to being teenagers all over again too. It was all just so exciting and exhilarating again and they just couldn’t seem to get enough of each other.

“Ah-huh, sure,” Liam scoffed, clapping Louis on the back with a smirk, before going over to his locker to get his own kitbag and change of clothes, his towel still tightly wrapped around his waist.

“ _Harry?_ ” Niall mouthed at Louis instead, to which Louis couldn’t help the (no doubt goofy) smile, which came onto his face in response to the other man’s name. Niall’s grin just seemed to spread impossibly even wider as he shot Louis a thumbs up, before crouching down to do up his shoes.

“What’re you lot gossiping about then?”

The pair looked up, as did Liam who’d gotten himself decent in the meantime, to see that Zayn had joined them and the rest of their team in the locker room. Clearly him coming to their matches was turning out to be a regular thing, Louis hadn’t been able to not notice him in the stands again while they were playing. Nor had he missed catching the older man watching Liam again (what even was up with that?).

“Tommo here seems to have gotten himself someone, though he’s trying to play it stupid, despite the giant vampire marking on his neck,” Liam replied casually, but shot Louis grin, as he tried to towel off his short, dark hair.

“Oh?” Zayn asked, curiosity clearly peaked as his dark eyebrows rose and he looked away from Liam to regarded Louis instead. A grin of his own quickly formed then when he spotted the tell-tale mark for himself. Louis instantly brought up a hand to cover the spot self-consciously.

“I rate the first round of drinks are on Louis tonight, seeing as he’s clearly getting more than any of us. It’s the least he could do, really,” Niall laughed, throwing an arm around Louis and pulling him close. Louis just groaned in resignation, prompting more laughter from his friends.

~x~

“And lover boy was alright with you coming out with me for dinner on a Friday night, instead of doing something with him? Friday night is date night after all…” Nick asked, raising a curious eyebrow as he took a sip from his glass of white wine.

“Of course, why wouldn’t he be?” Harry shrugged with a lazy smile. He still couldn’t quite get over the fact that he and Louis were now a thing again, after all this time and how things had first started off between them when he’d begun at the firm.

“I don’t know,” Nick shrugged back. “I just figured what with the two of you still being so new – I mean, it’s only been a few days – you’d wanna spend all the time you could together, just catching up and making up for lost time or whatever.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Harry nodded. “But he had a footie match and Fizzy – one of his sisters – is also down and he and his other sister Lottie are treating her to a night out or something. Besides, it’s hardly like we haven’t been making up for lost time during the week.” The last part he added with what could only be considered a rather impish smirk.

“Oh, I can only imagine,” Nick grinned all too knowingly, no doubt recalling the love bite he’d spotted on Harry the other day, “but please, do tell.”

Harry laughed in response, shaking his head, loose curls bouncing with the movement, as he reached out for his own glass of wine.

“Well, let’s just say we’ve fooled around the office quite a bit – tiptoeing around our co-workers and all, which with Niall is tricky,” Harry admitted, cheeks flushing ever so slightly at the memory of one too many incidents where they’d nearly been caught out.

“No, at work?” Nick asked over dramatically, struggling to suppress a giant grin of glee.

“I’m talking closets and bathroom stalls… It’s kind of like now that we’re back together, we just can’t seem to keep our hands off of each other,” Harry explained.

“Ah, young love,” Nick sighed wistfully, winking at his best mate, before taking another sip of his wine, the waitress then also arriving with their starters.

“Thanks,” Harry grinned at the young woman as she set down his seared tuna, before she left them to it.

“Aw, remember when you first moved to the big bad city and still thought sushi would be gross? And now, here you are seared tuna and all,” Nick grinned playfully, before reaching out for one of his oysters, which were laid out on a bed of ice and garnished with lemon segments.

“Yup,” Harry chuckled, before shuddering as Nick slurped up his seafood delicacy. “Still don’t think I’ll ever get into oysters though, even if they do look so pretty, what with all the ice and lemons…”

“S’all good, mate. Just means there’s more for me!” Nick laughed, setting down the now empty shell to pick up another.

The two continued to laugh and chat amongst themselves as they ate, before soon their plates were empty and being cleared away.

“We should really do this kind of thing more often, you know, instead of just holing up in one of our houses with takeout. This is nice,” Harry grinned, reaching out to hold Nick’s hand, which was on top of the table.

"Aww, Hazza, you can really make a man blush," Nick laughed, squeezing Harry's hand back. "Ooh, and maybe you can even bring your man next time, introduce us, yeah? Seeing I've heard so much about him. I feel I've gone through this struggle with you."

"Yeah, it'd actually be pretty funny to see the two of you interacting," Harry chuckled, watching as Nick fiddled with the rings on his fingers, their hands still interlaced. 

"Thanks, Grimmy. I really appreciate everything – with you putting up with all my whining and moping over all of this," he smiled, squeezing Nick's hand again, while his free hand brushed back the long hair of his fringe out his eyes.

"It's all good, love. What're friends for, yeah?" Nick smiled back, before his eyes flicked up to glance over at the movement he'd spotted out of the corner of his eye, eyebrows pulling together in confusion. 

Harry, seeing his friend's eyes stray, twisted a bit in his seat to follow Nick's line of sight, only to see the last thing he'd expected to. It was, who was unmistakably Louis, looking over at them with wide eyes, two young women beside him.

Harry was about to wave back, when he realised Louis looked anything but pleased to see him, his eyes narrowing and prompting Harry to look back over between him and Nick. They were still very much holding hands and, while chatting, they'd unconsciously leaned in close to each other. 

 _What?_ Hell no, that wasn't at all what was happening here. Harry dropped Nick's hand like it was made of fire, before looking back at Louis, who was positively glaring at Harry now, but his misplaced hurt was obvious as he shook his head.

"Louis, it's not–" Harry tried to begin, already pushing back his chair as he attempted to get to his feet, but it was no use, Louis wasn't listening. 

He just turned around and stormed off, the brunette woman right behind him, calling out for him, but Louis just kept walking, right back out the restaurant. The blonde woman, Lottie Harry belatedly realised, shot him daggers before heading right after Louis and who could of course only then be Fizzy. 

"Don't even think about it, Styles," Nick warned, long fingers suddenly gripping Harry's arm and preventing him from charging after the Tomlinsons. Harry hadn't even realised the other man had also gotten up.

"But, Nick," Harry began, looking frantically at his friend as he tried to tug himself free. "I have to go after him. I think he thinks–”

"That we're on a date? Yeah, I figured as much. We're not though, so you have nothing to feel guilty about. He's jumped the gun and, if I've learnt anything about the bloke from you, it's that he's quite the firecracker and can't be reasoned with when he's angry. You need to give him a chance to cool off before you try and explain yourself – no matter what you say, he won't listen to you now," Nick explained, surprisingly calm and collected, especially compared to Harry's now frantic state of panic. He was the voice of reason.

"But, Nick, after everything..." Harry tried, anxiously looking towards the entrance. Nick just tightened his grip, before letting go completely.

"Don't, Haz. Wait for him to cool down."

Harry bit his lip, eyes flicking to Nick, before returning to the entrance again. 

" _Harry.._."

"I'm sorry, I can't not do anything," Harry apologised, already turning and running after Louis. 

Nick just sighed sadly, returning to his seat. The waitress appeared by his side, their main courses in her hands and a concerned look in her eyes, clearly wondering what the scene in the middle of the restaurant had been all about.

"Thanks, love," Nick nodded, choosing to just not address the whole thing. 

Several minutes later a decidedly upset and defeated looking Harry slunk back in and sat back down in his own seat, shoulders slumped. 

"Got there just in time to see Lottie get into a cab after them. He just left. Just like that. Didn't even give me a chance to explain that it was all just some stupid mix up. Won't answer his phone either. I can't believe that was the first conclusion he drew and didn't even trust me enough to give me the benefit of the doubt..."

"I'm sorry, love," Nick sighed sympathetically, reaching over to top up Harry's wine glass and kindly not saying 'I told you so'. He really was the best mate Harry could ask for. "Give him a chance to calm the farm, I'm sure he'll listen then and apologise and, before you know it, the two of you will be having lots of make up sex. And, who knows, you may even make it to a bed for a change and give those loos a break."

Harry just offered Nick a weak smile, reaching over for his full wine glass. Despite the fact that his ravioli looked delicious, he was no longer even remotely peckish. 

~x~ 

When Louis still wasn't answering his calls or texts after what Harry dubbed as more than enough time to have 'calmed the farm', he decided enough was enough and headed off towards Louis' flat. He'd just have to talk to the other man and make him see sense in person. He wasn't about to lose Louis again and especially not for something so ridiculous; it was all just some stupid misunderstanding for God's sake!

When Harry eventually got to Louis', after a rather long walk in the brisk spring air along the Thames, it was to find things not quite going according to plan.

Instead of Louis, it was Lottie, the eldest of Louis' sisters, even more recognisable in the light of day and up close despite the many years that had gone by since last Harry had seen her, that came to answer the front door after he'd rung Louis' flat’s number. 

"I should have known," she sighed, holding the door only half open and looking anything but impressed as she looked him over. 

She was a makeup artist now, Louis had said and, looking at her now, even in some comfy sweats, it was clear to see, her makeup picture perfect, despite obviously just laying around the house, and bleach blonde hair in messy braids.

"Uh, hi, um, Lottie," Harry said, feeling incredibly awkward even though he knew he didn't really have a reason to. This wasn't quite how he'd imagined they'd be reintroduced to each other. "Is, uh, well, can I speak to Louis, please?"

"Look, Harry, Louis isn't interested in whatever it is you have to say. I think you've done more than enough here. I just knew he should have been more wary of you, yet he was just so adamant that you wouldn't hurt him again..." she shook her head, braids swishing with the movement. 

"Lottie, this is all just some big mix up, it's not at all what you think," Harry tried, but by Lottie's already closed off expression, he could tell he wasn't gonna appeal to her good side.  Bloody Tomlinsons, they were clearly all as stubborn as each other and, if she was anything like her brother – which Harry was starting to realise was looking more and more like the case – she'd be fiercely protective of him. 

"Lotts, who is it?" he heard another woman's voice say, before the brunette from the previous evening appeared over Lottie's shoulder. Her own expression darkened the moment she laid eyes on him. "Seriously?!"

"Er, hi, um... Fizzy?" Harry said, feeling even more awkward (if that were even possible). Fizzy had certainly changed a lot, no longer the little kid that Harry had once known, but now a young woman.

“I’m sorry… Harry, but Louis is really upset and seriously does not want to see you right now. Can you please leave.” Fizzy was short and to the point, but polite. Harry could tell he stood no chance getting past these two.

He sighed disappointedly, before just nodding. He knew he’d see Louis on Monday, they had court together, so Louis wouldn’t be able to avoid him forever. The only issue now was the suspense of having to wait to see and finally talk to him.

He offered the two women a nod and forced smile, before stuffing his hands into his coat pockets and turning around to head back home. Thoughts about what he’d say to Louis come Monday circulating through his mind the whole walk home.

Things didn’t get much better then when Niall called him up Sunday evening. Harry had barely answered the phone, before the other man was suddenly (and rather colourfully in the way of word choice) laying into him, clearly having heard about what had happened on Friday night, but from Louis’ mistaken understanding of events.

“Niall–” Harry still tried to get through despite the barrage, but was swiftly cut down.

“No, Harry, you promised. You _promised_ you wouldn’t hurt him again! Yet I go over to his, worried ‘cause he’s not been answering my texts or calls, only to find him miserable and heartbroken all over again. He said he caught you out on some fancy date with another man! Harry, I like you, I do, but I can’t be friends with you if you’re just gonna lie to my face and screw my best mate over. I mean, I thought you said you loved him? Yet you go and do that to him, take him for a fool?

“You know, in all our years of friendship, I’d never seen Louis cry once, at least not until today. All it took was allowing you back into his life. I can’t help but blame myself. I should never have shared all that stuff with you. Why did you do it Harry?”

Louis had cried? Now Harry really felt like shit, even though he knew he really shouldn’t. He’d done nothing wrong. All he’d done was go out for dinner with his best friend and Louis had drawn his own conclusions, without even trusting Harry enough to let him explain.

This whole thing was just one big, messed up misunderstanding, which was exactly what he tried to explain to Niall. He wanted the blond to see his side of things too and understand that he really hadn’t broken his promise to Niall. He could understand where Niall’s anger was coming from, but knew it to be misplaced and thankfully, unlike Louis, he actually calmed himself down enough to hear Harry out.

“…so basically, I’m just stuck now, left waiting for Monday to come so that I can actually explain all of this to him in person…”

Niall was silent for a bit, no doubt trying to process everything Harry had just told him, before he then let out a deep sigh. “You are kidding me. This is all such a mess, isn’t it? Wow, fuck, sorry, Harry. Now I feel really bad for jumping down your throat like that…”

“S’okay,” Harry was quick to assure him, letting out a breath he hadn’t even realised he’d been holding in relief. “You’re Louis’ best mate. It’s good to know he has you, ready to fight for him.”

“Yeah, well, I know he’d do the same for me…” Niall let out another deep sigh, before what sounded like a relieved laugh bubbled through the line. “Wow, I can’t believe this is all just because of some big mix up. Louis really is such a stubborn pillock sometimes; it certainly all sounds like something he’d end up getting himself caught up in.”

“Yeah… Still refusing to answer my calls or texts and Lord knows I’ve probably filled up his mailbox by now,” Harry sighed, grateful that Niall actually believed him.

“Yup, that’s Lou for ya. So… how come you never told me you’re mates with Nick Grimshaw before? Bet Louis didn’t even stick around long enough to realise who your ‘mysterious date’ was,” Niall asked with a chuckle, the other man reverting back into the friendly and easygoing man Harry knew.

“Oh, uh, I don’t know, it just never came up before I guess?”

“Aw, but, _Harry_ , that’s valuable information you’ve been keeping to yourself, mate. You do realise this means you’re gonna have to introduce me to the man now, to make up for all the stress your and Louis’ little fight has put me through,” Niall pointed out.

“Well don’t get your hopes up too high, he’s just Nick,” Harry laughed, knowing the way Nick would have gasped in dramatic and feigned offense at his words.

“Perhaps, but he does seem like a right laugh to have around.”

All in all, Harry couldn’t help but be grateful that Niall had heard him out and believed him, he only hoped now that explaining everything to Louis would be half as easy to do, something he highly doubted would be the case, but he could still hope.

“I’ll try to help you out too, yeah? I’ll speak to Louis, try and get him to hear you out,” Niall then said, seemingly sensing where Harry’s mind was.

“Thanks, Niall. You really are a good mate.”

“Anytime. I’ll see you tomorrow; I’ll be at the Final Hearing too. Good luck.”

“Cheers, Ni.”

~x~

Wish as he might for it to do otherwise, time still passed and Monday morning, along with the Final Hearing, came rolling around and Louis found himself in court beside Harry and their client. To say it was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable would have been the literal understatement of the year.

He’d managed to lessen his time spent with Harry to the absolute minimum, ensuring he only arrived when he knew Mike would already be there. It wasn’t exactly professional of him, but after the weekend he’d had, he felt he could hardly be blamed for it. Screw Harry and his pointedly raised eyebrows when he’d joined them. Louis also still thought he looked like a moron with that stupid hipster bun while wearing a suit at court (how was that even considered professional? How dare he question Louis’ professionalism!).

Louis just had to get through this case, it was almost over, he could do it, and then he’d never have to work on a case with Harry again. Next time if Zayn and Liam tried to get him to work with the other man again, he’d really put his foot down. Like he should have done so this time round. After this hearing, Harry was as good as non-existent to him.

Luckily James Corden, the barrister (and one of Niall’s close friends, the Irishman having helped get them James’ help) who was helping them argue their case in court, arrived just a little after Louis even, meaning he wasn’t _the_ latest of their party to arrive.

He knew he should rather be focused better on what James was saying as he cross-examined Mrs Forester, instead of stewing over the whole situation with Harry, but being in such close proximity to the other man was making it all incredibly hard to do. He shook his head though and did his best to get back into the trial; it was a good thing that not much could really be expected of him right now.

James was incredibly good at his job though, it didn’t take a genius to see it, and looking over at Harry (not that he’d been keeping an eye on him) it was clear to see that he was impressed too. Mrs Forester was crumbling under his pointed questions, James having easily brought up several holes in her own claim of abuse.

When he got to talking about her (quite frankly ridiculous) demands for household expenditure, he seemed to have hit a nerve. The respondent began to outright argue with him when he pointed out clear examples of her greed and unnecessary claims. Louis found himself fighting off a smirk in response, the judge beginning to get more involved as a result and clearly anything but impressed with her conduct.

When he accidentally met Harry’s eyes and the other man shot him a grin in response, also clearly pleased with how things were going, Louis felt his own smile instantly die. Screw Harry.

Suddenly he was back to brooding about bloody Harry and his lying, cheating hipster arse, the court proceedings taking a backseat.

He still couldn’t quite believe it all. God, he’d been such an idiot. Perhaps the worst part of it all was that he’d known. He’d known he shouldn’t trust Harry, yet he’d gone and done it anyway. He felt embarrassed for being so quick to believe Harry and falling for him all over again when it had clearly not really meant a thing to Harry.

He’d been so crushed and mortified when he’d seen Harry at that restaurant with another man. The old wounds which had only begun to heal, cruelly torn open anew. In a way this pain had hurt more, for he was older now and should have known better, yet he’d laid himself bare and vulnerable once more, only to have his heart trod on yet again.

He was so lost in his thoughts, that he completely missed Mrs Forester’s barrister re-examining her, as well as the expert witnesses in the form of their accountants and James’ closing argument. Dammit, Louis was never this distracted and unfocused in court. This whole thing with Harry had really messed him up.

James must have noticed after retaking his seat, as Louis was startled out of his brooding thoughts, by a swift elbow to the ribs. It took all of his self-control not to gasp loudly over the respondent’s barrister giving his closing argument. He shot James a death glare in response. James just raised his eyebrows curiously, to which Louis just waved his hand dismissively.

He tried to pay attention to Mrs Forester’s barrister, but the outrageous claims he was making, like his client’s need for a massive chunk of cash to ‘maintain her usual beauty regime’, just had him getting even more annoyed than he already was, so he purposefully chose to tune him out. As soon as the judge dismissed them to prepare a judgement, Louis was going to go find a quiet place outside and have a good smoke. His fingers were literally twitching with his current nicotine craving.

After finding Harry with that other man, he had gone straight home and proceeded to chain smoke, despite his sisters’ protests (both women decidedly against his admittedly bad habit) until he’d run out of cigarettes, before finally then just breaking down completely. He’d felt even more embarrassed then crying pathetically in front of his sisters, but hadn’t been able to stop the tears. Luckily they’d both just been there for him and Lottie had even insisted on giving him a lift to court after Fizzy had had to leave that morning.

He felt awful about ruining Fizzy’s trip and had promised to make it up to her, despite her protests that it was all okay. Honestly, fuck Harry. This was all his damn fault. Well, and Louis’, as a little voice in his head wouldn’t let him forget, for it was him that had let Harry back in. It was all just such a mess.

When the judge then did dismiss them in order to make his judgment, Louis wasted no time in excusing himself to his client (who was in deep conversation now with James) to go for a smoke, whilst paying special attention to completely ignore Harry.

He then managed to find himself a fairly peaceful and quiet spot outside to light up one of the cigarettes from his new box (which was already a few smokes in – this whole Harry affair was literally gonna kill him). The first puff instantly helped abate the anxiety that had steadily been building up inside of him as he fretted over everything that had happened over the weekend. Say what one will about smoking, but it certainly worked well as a vice for Louis.

Lost in his thoughts again and almost through with his cigarette (Louis already contemplating smoking another), he suddenly became aware of the sound of shoe soles slapping against the paving. His heart instantly dropped with dread, until he risked a look upward and saw that it wasn't Harry who was approaching him, but rather Niall.

He let out a long plume of smoke in relief and offered the other man a nod of the head in greeting. Although he'd known the Niall would be coming to the trial, he had yet had the time to actually see him, let alone speak with him.

"Knew I'd find you here. You really should consider quitting, mate. I worry for those lungs of yours," Niall greeted him back when he'd reached Louis, sliding his hands into his trouser pockets.

"I know, I know, but right now I really need this," Louis shrugged, before bringing the cigarette back up to his lips and taking another pull. "Besides, I don't see you ever complaining to Zayn and Liam when they smoke."

"Yeah, well, you're not my boss, Lou," Niall pointed out, before biting his lip, clearly wanting to say something but hesitating.

His strange behaviour earned him a curious eyebrow raise from Louis, as he blew a final plume of smoke out of the corner of his mouth and stumped out the finished cigarette. It was obvious now to him that Niall had clearly come over for a reason.

Niall sighed, before suddenly pulling it together and fixing Louis with a surprisingly stern look. "Louis, mate, you've gotta give Harry a chance to explain himself."

Louis' eyebrows immediately drew together in confusion, while he stared back at Niall in affronted shock. It was literally the last thing he'd expected from the other man.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, Lou, you're my beat mate, yeah? You know that, right? I wouldn't be asking you to do this if I didn't think it would actually really help you out. Just let him explain his side of things, you haven't even given him a chance," Niall said, appealing to his best friend.

"Why? So that he can just lie and manipulate me all over again?" Louis asked, frown only deepening and clearly not about to fold so easily.

Niall groaned in frustration. He loved his friend, he really did, but sometimes Louis was just so bloody stubborn and difficult that it drove him insane. All the luck to Harry quite frankly.

"Why do you have to be so bloody dramatic? Just let him give you his side of this – hear him out – and if you're still not happy? Well, then you can properly tell him to jog on. But before you do, please, just hold back your reservations and actually listen to him."

"What even is this, Niall? I know you get on well with him and all, but I thought I was your 'best mate'. I mean, just yesterday you sounded ready to skin him alive for me? What's going on here?" Louis demanded suspiciously, his own irritation evident.

"Just let Harry explain himself. That's all I'm asking. C'mon, Louis. If you won't do it for yourself, then please at least do it for me? You know I've only ever got your best interests at heart," Niall tried once more, most definitely playing the friend card and making Louis grumble in resigned frustration. Niall was clearly very adamant about this.

"Fine. I'll hear him out. But he has to come to me."

Niall nodded, reaching out to squeeze Louis' shoulder. "That's fine. He's waiting just inside, I'll send him over now. Just... just please hear him out? Promise me you'll actually give him a chance to explain?"

"Ugh," Louis groaned, unsure why all of this even meant so much to Niall anyway, "Yes. I already said I would, so I will. I don't even know why you're so invested in this all anyway."

"I just want you to be happy, Lou."

Louis just sighed and motioned for Niall to go and get Harry already. He wanted this over and done with as soon as possible.

He wasted no time then in nabbing another cigarette out of the carton in his jacket and was just in the process of lighting it, when he heard heavier footfalls approaching him this time. He could then see Harry's (ridiculously big, yet admittedly sleek) black dress shoes stop just a little way away from his own, notably smaller (not everyone could be a kangaroo-footed galumph) ones.

Harry didn't immediately say anything and Louis was in no rush to hear him talk, so he simply continued with what he was doing, before he was satisfied and then pocketed his lighter. It wasn't until after he'd taken the first proper drag that he then looked up to regard Harry. He was surprised to see – or maybe he wasn't really – that Harry didn't look particularly sorrowful or apologetic. He just looked determined.

Those dark brows of his (he undoubtedly got them done, the vain bastard) were pulled straight, while his green eyes, looking distinctly olive, were fixed on Louis, his expression otherwise unreadable. It irked Louis. Harry irked Louis, to say the least.

"So then, speak. You're clearly determined for me to hear your stupid apology or whatever – what with even getting poor Niall roped in all of this – so spit it out already," Louis said, blowing out a cloud of smoke, more than a little irritated by now, and not caring that it went into the other man's face. Screw Harry.

The little twitch Harry's nose gave in response, despite him clearly trying to keep himself all aloof or whatever, was more than worth the effort. Louis was tempted to do it again. Especially after hearing the first few words out of the other man's mouth.

"I didn't come over to apologise actually."

"Oh? Well then just why are you so desperate to talk to me?" Louis sneered, most definitely unimpressed. And, if he were being honest, struggling to keep it together himself. Harry had really hurt him, yet again, and after saying he wouldn't, so why the hell did he think he didn't need to apologise?

"I wanted to get a chance to actually explain myself to you Louis, but you've just been pushing me away and ignoring me, without even giving me the benefit of the doubt!" Harry was clearly also beginning to crack, his previously calm facade giving way to his own obvious hurt and annoyance.

Louis couldn't help but scoff. "Yes, because you've given me reason to actually trust you in the past."

"Yes, actually I have. I may have withheld certain truths about what uni I was planning on going to – which I have already tried to begin making up to you – but I never bloody well cheated on you. I never would," Harry pointed out, most definitely in an offended huff himself now. "Louis, how could you even think that of me?"

"How should I know what to think of you, Harry?!" Louis shot back. "I missed a whole big chunk of your life and hadn't seen you since we were kids. I'm not even entirely sure I knew who you were at the end then even. You seem like a foreign and completely different person now too, what with your stupid Palates and pretentious bloody hipster bun. Heck, when I knew you, you were wearing oversized kicks and Jack Wills hoodies."

"Louis, that's all just a part of growing up. I mean, I could say the same about you and your apparent change of heart towards getting tattoos, as well as the whole 'healthy life, healthy me' gymming and eating you've taken up. And then there's also the smoking – which, by the way is completely contradictory," Harry pointed out, as he watched Louis puff smoke out from between his lips.

He wanted to grab that goddamn cigarette and toss it away. He took a deep breath though, in an attempt to calm down. It wouldn't help a thing if he just lost his cool. He wanted to fix things with Louis, not make them even worse.

"Anyway, look, Louis, this isn't about what's changed, but rather what hasn't. I still feel exactly the same about you and I know – I just know – you feel that way about me too. We worked well together and there isn't a doubt in my mind that we can't do so now again. We just need to try and move on from the past and stop letting it hold us back.

"I did not cheat on you, Louis. How could I? Did you not hear me when I told you I loved you? Because I do, you know. I really do love you. Friday night was all just a massive and unnecessary misunderstanding. Did you even take the time to see who I was with, before you so hastily arrived at your assumption?"

Louis' mouth drew into a line, but he shook his head, his cigarette long since forgotten. "No. I didn't see him properly, but what does it matter? You were at dinner and holding hands with a man that wasn't me."

At Louis' answer, Harry couldn't hold back a groan of annoyance and frustration, despite his best efforts, causing the smaller man to visibly bristle in response.

"So what, I can't have male friends now? I can't hang out with any other blokes? 'Cause that's all it was, Louis. I went to dinner with Nick Grimshaw – you know the big Radio 1 DJ? – who just so happens to also be my best friend. Cheating on you was literally the furthest thing from my mind - in fact, Nick and I had actually just been talking about you!

"It was actually Nick who's been there, cheering me on and encouraging me to try win you back. I mean, for fuck's sake, Louis, I've been friends with the man for years now, if I was ever gonna shag him – which even the thought of puts me off – I'd have already done it by now. I don't want Nick and I don't doubt he doesn't want me in that way either. I just want you. Can't you see that?"

Harry bit his lip, unsure of what else to say now. He'd finally gotten it all out. He'd finally managed to explain himself. If Louis still refused to believe him now? Well there wasn't really much else he could do. Louis needed to learn how to trust him again. If he didn't, they'd never really be able to have a proper relationship again. Harry certainly didn't want any repeats of all of this again.

Louis’ blue eyes scanned over Harry, trying to check for any sign that what the other man was saying wasn't the truth. Part of him now was even cruelly hoping he was lying, because if he wasn't – which was really looking like the case – well, then Louis was most definitely the one at fault here.

When his eyes then rose up again to properly meet their deep green counterparts, well…

“Oh. _Oh_ , fuck.”

“Ah-huh,” Harry nodded, trying to keep serious and proper, even a tad self-righteous, but the relief that he’d finally gotten through Louis’ thick skull was clear on his face.

“Oh, fuck,” Louis repeated, having dropped his nearly finished and forgotten about cigarette onto the paving without even realising it, as a flood of shame and guilt rushed him. Harry reached out with his foot to properly put it out.

Louis had completely misjudged Harry and assumed the worst of him, before then swiftly locking Harry out, without even giving the other man any chance to clear things up. Harry must have been so beside himself, yet Louis was so caught up in himself that he didn’t even bother to consider any other possibilities. It had been him who’d fucked things up, not Harry.

“Oh, God, Harry. Fuck, I’m so sorry. Fuck,” Louis shook his head, eyes full of remorse as he looked at the taller man. He couldn’t believe he’d been such a complete and utter moron.

“It’s okay, Louis,” Harry sighed, offering the other man a sad smile.

“It’s not though. Fuck, I was so bloody stubborn and stupid. Goddammit, I’m such an idiot. You’re right, I should have given you the benefit of the doubt, but instead I was just so quick to blame you and believe the worst. Fuck.”

Louis just looked so upset with himself, his hands unconsciously dragging through his hair and messing up his quiff in the process, that Harry couldn’t help his smile growing nor the warmth that spread in his chest at the sight.

“Lou, seriously, it’s alright. I’ve fucked up and so have you; we’ve both been idiots, okay? We’re only human, it happens. We’re not perfect. What’s important now is that we learn from it all and move on – grow stronger. I just,” Harry sighed, shaking his head, while he felt the full intensity of Louis’ gaze on him. “I hate fighting with you. So, well, if we could, let’s try avoid that, yeah? Though, knowing us, there will no doubt be a lot more bumps in the road.

“Just please, next time at least give me a chance to explain myself, yeah? I promise to do the same for you. Please, also never doubt – no matter what is said or done between us – that regardless, I love you, Louis Tomlinson, you arrogant, pig-headed, stubborn, bloody brilliant, big-hearted, beautiful man.”

Louis’ bottom lip popped out from where it had become caught between his teeth as he listened to what Harry had to say, his insides squirming with warmth and his heart practically aching with it. God, he really had been so damn stupid. Just looking at Harry now, his green eyes suspiciously wet, it was all too obvious that Harry clearly did love him and, judging by this feeling within himself, which just seemed so much bigger than him or admittedly anything else he’d ever thought he felt before, he too felt similarly.

“I love you too, you infuriatingly ridiculous, man-bun-wearing hipster,” Louis smiled, reaching over the short distance between them to thumb away a tear which had managed to escape one of those big, warm iridescent eyes, before just wrapping Harry up into his arms, the taller man coming to him easily.

“I believe you’re supposed to add some compliments in there too, like I did,” Harry said into Louis’ ear, his chin resting on the shorter man’s shoulder as he bent and enveloped him in his own arms in return.

“Oi, your head’s already big enough as it is, Curly. Just be grateful I didn’t comment on the fact you’re tearing up,” Louis teased back, prompting Harry to pull away so that he could look back at Louis in dramatic, feigned offence. Louis just laughed, before then reaching up to press a kiss to Harry’s lush, full lips.

When Louis then tried to pull away, Harry simply chased after his lips, one of his large hands rising to cup the back of Louis’ head as he then kissed the shorter man deeper. Louis sighed into the kiss, one of his legs unconsciously lifting to curl around the back of Harry’s to give him better balance, as he readily kissed the taller man back, his mouth pliantly giving way to Harry’s tongue.

Louis couldn’t hold back a little sigh at the feeling of Harry’s slick tongue tracing over the inside of his mouth, the hot muscle dragging over his own, while his fingers reflexively scrunched in their hold on Harry’s shoulders. He whined a little though then, when Harry suddenly pulled away to scrunch his nose at Louis.

“Really wish you wouldn’t smoke. Do you think it could be of my concern now, what it does to your health and the taste of your mouth?”

Louis felt his face flush in response to Harry’s words, self-conscious now of the fact he no doubt tasted like an ashtray. Very sexy.

“I… I’ll try and stop, okay?” Louis offered, already missing the feel of Harry’s lips on his own, which were now tingling with being damp from kissing and so exposed more to the brisk Spring chill in the air. “Please don’t stop kissing me now though?”

“Thank you,” Harry smiled genuinely, before nodding, “How could I resist that pout?”

Both men laughed, before Harry leaned back in and captured Louis’ lips in another kiss, wasting no time in picking back up where they’d left off. In truth, it hadn’t really taken long for the stale taste of cigarette smoke to wear off and for Harry to rather taste _Louis_ better instead. God, he just really loved kissing Louis.

Both men were so lost in each other that they failed to hear the subtle attempts at coughing to get their attention, before Niall had to instead settle with clapping his hands loudly and an “OI! You two! Enough of that, judge’s made his decision!”

Harry got such a fright, he nearly dropped Louis, who in turn went more the cat route and clutched even tighter to Harry, his arms nearly cutting off the taller man’s oxygen flow in their hold around his neck.

“Niall!” Louis scolded, managing to quickly untangle himself from Harry and even go so far as to take a few steps away from the other man. Harry didn’t waste much time in reaching out and pulling Louis right back against his side.

“Naw, look at you two! You’re welcome by the way. I expect to be best man at the wedding. For both of you,” Niall said rather smugly, taking in his friends’ flushed faces, mussed suits and wild hair.

“I’m not too sure if Nick will be on board with that,” Harry pointed out, while Louis just scoffed and rolled his eyes at Niall, before noticing Niall’s stare and hastily attempting to then salvage his hair. “Shit, here, Lou, let me help,” Harry then said, already reaching out to help style Louis’ hair back into some semblance of what it had been like before.

“Best fix your own hair first, Curly. That bun’s clearly not man enough to hold it all anymore,” Louis pointed out with a smirk, eyeing the messy tendrils that had escaped during their little impromptu make out. 

Niall scoffed at the ridiculous pun, unused to such a thing from Louis, but Harry clearly found it delightful as his loud laugh quickly filled the courtyard. “I can already tell you two are going to be one of those sickeningly lovey-dovey ones. Well, when you’re not at each other’s throats, that is…”

~x~

The men had then returned to court to hear the judgement and although Mrs Forester had been given a rather outrageous sum of money and one of the sports cars and the flat in Paris, Mike had still come out on top, winning the most important battle in being granted full custody of their daughter Jessica, as well as getting to keep their home here in London. According to James, it had most certainly gone the best way they could have hoped for it to.

Niall had then insisted they all go out for celebratory drinks, before then promptly breaking the news that Louis and Harry were most definitely shagging (using that exact term), only one pint in.

“Ah, well, I can’t say I’m surprised. I always suspected as much. The pair of you acted like you were going through a divorce yourselves half the time, and not just helping me with mine,” Mike pointed out with a laugh, much to both Niall and James’ great amusement.

“Well, we’ve more or less sorted out all of that now,” Harry defended, moving to hold Louis’ hand, which was sat atop the table beside his sweating pint glass. Louis gladly reciprocated.

“I’d say. Had to practically tear ‘em apart when court was called back in session – haven’t seen that much tongue sin–”

“Stop, stop, stop, Niall! Mike is still our client, let’s not be so unprofessional,” Louis hastily interrupted his friend’s increasingly inappropriate conversation topic.

“Actually, he’s not really _my_ client, so technically I can be as unprofessional as I want!” Niall pointed out with a cheeky eyebrow wiggle, before chugging down the rest of his pint.

“Hmm, not exactly, Ni, you still work for Payne, Malik and Associates, so some professionalism _is_ actually required,” Harry shot right back calmly, before taking a more polite sip from his own pint glass.

“Huh, well, if we’re gonna discuss professionalism and your firm, when are you two planning on telling Payne and Malik about the fact that the two of you are clearly together? Some firms and companies are against ‘fraternisation’ between colleagues,” James asked curiously, eyes pointedly drifting to where Harry and Louis still held hands on the table.

“Er, well, to be honest, I hadn’t really even thought of that…” Harry said, a small line of worry forming between his eyebrows.

“Oh, c’mon, Haz, we’ve got better things to think about right now. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Louis tried to assure him, giving his bigger hand a squeeze.

“Louis’ right, we came here to celebrate! Mike is a free man at last and the pair of you finally got your shit together – so let’s drink! You lot are already behind me! I’ll go get the next round so long. When I get back, you’d all better be sat in front of empty glasses!” Niall declared, before sliding out of the booth and skipping (literally skipping) over to the bar.

“He’s certainly something,” Mike said in a mixture of wonder and disbelief.

“You have no idea,” James laughed.

“Personally I think he’s just glad to be at the pub celebrating for a change, instead of commiserating yet another one our footie losses,” Louis said, sparking Harry’s interest, as he insisted Louis take him along to watch a game sometime, and even suggesting that he could perhaps be the lucky charm their team needed.

Naturally, when Niall returned to the table, arms full of pint glasses and beer dripping down the glasses and onto his previously pristine shirt from where he’d spilt a bit, he’d eagerly agreed with Harry’s suggestion. James and Mike had even then just gone ahead and agreed to come to the next game too when Niall asked. Louis had even then agreed (much to Niall’s excitement) with Harry that it may also be a good idea to just invite Nick to the game too.

Sitting in the pub at a table surrounded by his friends, new and old, their loud and excitable chatter filling his ears and with Harry by his side, their joined hands long since having moved to rest on his thigh, Louis could honestly say he felt truly happy, right down to the core, for the first time he could remember in a really long time.

~x~

“I still can’t believe it,” Louis mumbled, yet again, against Harry’s lips, the pair unable to wait until they got to the privacy of the change rooms to get their hands and mouths onto one another.

For the first time all season, Louis’ team had finally won a match, much to everyone’s utter relief and excitement, that they’d all agreed to hang around and celebrate, some members of the team having run down to the shops to get some booze for their impromptu party on the footie pitch. Louis and Harry had snuck away though, wanting to do some celebrating of their own, leaving Nick to deal with an overly excited Niall (and who was he even kidding? It was obvious to even Louis who’d only just met him, that he loved being gushed over), while James and Mike had only smirked all too knowingly at their less than stealthy getaway.

“I told you I’d be a lucky charm,” Harry said smugly, pulling back from Louis so he could open the door which led into Louis’ team’s locker room, both men’s eyes then darting around to double check no one had seen them. They’d yet to come clean to their bosses about their relationship.

“That you did,” Louis grinned, giving Harry another kiss as they stumbled inside and Harry kicked the door closed again behind them. “Guess you’ll have to come to my matches more often now.”

“Like I’d pass up an opportunity to see you run around in these shorts,” Harry leered, dropping a hand to grope Louis’ arse. “Fuck, your bum looks so good in them, you have no idea.”

“Oh?” Louis asked coyly, but his smug little smirk ruined the innocence he was aiming for. The leg he then lifted to throw over Harry’s hip did nothing to help his case either. Of course he knew damn well how great his arse looked in a pair of footie shorts.

Harry just growled in his throat, the hand he had on Louis’ shoulder dropping to join the other one on Louis’ round arse to help pull the smaller man up into his arms, Louis quick to wrap his legs around Harry’s waist.

“You look good too, by the way,” Louis complimented, wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck, but giving the other man a pointed once over in his hold, taking in his tight, ripped skinny jeans and plaid shirt. “Even if you do look like a filthy hipster,” he couldn’t then resist adding as he reached out to cheekily yank on Harry’s messy bun.

“Oh, hush. You love my ‘filthy hipster’ vibe,” Harry grinned, dimples popping and prompting Louis to move his hand to instead poke one of the cute little dips and grin all crinkly-eyed in return. “Especially my man bun!”

“Lies!” Louis cried in false horror, scrunching up his face, only to just reach over and pull out Harry’s hairband, releasing his waves of glorious, chocolaty curls, with a cackle.

Harry just laughed back, before leaning in again and joining their lips in another messy kiss, as he began to move towards one of the toilet stalls – they were still too out in the open, Liam could still always come marching in for his shower and the last thing he felt like doing after such a great evening was explaining his and Louis’ secret (well at least to their bosses) relationship.

In the end, however, none of that mattered, as the first stall he staggered into, Louis still wrapped around him like a koala and both of them seemingly fused at the mouth, found them stumbling right into none other than Liam and Zayn. The pair in a fairly compromising state themselves. For one, Liam was shirtless, while Zayn’s dress shirt was undone.

Startled, both couples just stared at each other in shock, Harry nearly having dropped Louis initially, but Louis strong thighs were locked tightly around him. Well, their not-so-secret relationship was certainly not at all secret anymore…

“Knew it!”

It was Louis who broke the awkward silence first, scrambling down from Harry as he looked from Zayn to Liam and then back again.

“I just knew it. I mean, why else would Zayn have come to the matches? He _hates_ football! How long has this even been going on for?” He couldn’t help his curiosity, eyes scanning over his friends.

The older men blushed at being found out, especially in such a compromising situation, Harry’s own flushed cheeks only beginning to fade some.

“The same could be asked of you and Harry,” Zayn pointed out accusingly, as he started to do up his buttons, his eyes flitting between Harry and Louis in confusion. As far as he knew, Louis hated Harry.

“Only a couple weeks. Took me a while to realise Zayn felt the same way,” Liam replied though, looking a little sheepish and making Zayn’s hard, defensive mask fall away.

“Try a good decade or so,” he said more to Liam, abandoning a few of the undone buttons to instead scoop Liam’s footie jersey off the floor and hand it over to him with a soft smile. He then turned back to look over Louis, with his rumpled kit, and Harry, with his wild hair. “And you two?”

“Erm, well, it’s a long story,” Harry offered, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, while Liam shrugged back into his top.

“That’s fine, we don’t mind, do we, Liam?”

“’Course not,” Liam grinned, big brown eyes watching as Louis stubbornly reached out for Harry’s hand, which wasted no time in enveloping his own. “You actually make a pretty cute couple… It’s all starting to make sense now…”

“This why you couldn’t stand Harry then, Tommo? Not a fan of sexual frustration?”

Louis just scowled in response, while Harry chuckled. “Actually, we have history.”

“Oh? Well, we definitely wanna hear now,” Liam grinned, eyes darting between the two of them curiously.

“Definitely,” Zayn nodded in agreement, getting over the initial shock of it all and just wrapping an arm around Liam’s waste, causing the other man to lean into him in return. Now that Louis and Harry knew that they were more to each other than just name partners of their shared firm, there was no point in pretending otherwise.

“So, wait, you’re okay with it then – with us being together despite the whole working together thing?” Harry couldn’t help asking, as he ran his hands through his thick, wavy hair, shoving back his long fringe.

“Obviously, I mean, they’d be complete and utter hypocrites if they said otherwise,” Louis replied instead, with a rather self-satisfied grin, as he mirrored Zayn in dropping Harry’s hand to instead wrap an arm around his waist.

Zayn just rolled his eyes. “You’re such a lawyer, Tomlinson.”

Naturally, it was then that Niall came traipsing in, Nick at his side.

“Ha! Knew it!” Niall declared loudly, eyes zeroing in on Zayn and Liam. “Told you, Lou.”

“You mean _I_ told _you_ ,” Louis disagreed with a shake of his head, Zayn and Liam both frowning.

“Oh c’mon, we weren’t that obvious,” Liam protested.

Niall and Louis just scoffed, making Harry laugh.

“Well, seeing as we’re all coming out about our little secrete relationships, I feel like now would be the time I should mention that Jenny and I have recently started seeing each other officially,” Niall then suddenly said, sending everyone’s eyebrows raising to their hairlines in surprise, except for Harry’s and Nick’s (due to the fact that he’d only met Niall and had yet to meet Jenny).

“Aw, Niall, that’s so wonderful–”

“You what?!” Louis interrupted Harry to demand, completely blindsided.

“Jenny and I are dating,” Niall elaborated, before coughing awkwardly into his fist.

“What the hell, since when?” Louis couldn’t believe he’d missed it, his best mate and secretary having completely pulled the wool over his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You and Harry could be asked the same thing,” Zayn pointed out, only to encourage more scoffing.

“As could you and Liam,” Harry wasted no time in pointing out.

Nick just laughed and shook his head. “Harry, you should have introduced me to this lot sooner. It’s like watching an episode of Jeremy Kyle in person!”

~x~

Louis and Harry were still buzzed, even after having left the rager that had developed on the football pitch, friends and family of the team having been informed of the festivities and joining in to create quite the crowd. Louis wouldn't be surprised if their football league wouldn't be allowed to host matches on that particular field again – the surrounding neighbourhood no doubt being kept up by the ruckus they were making.

Both men were a little tipsy, having made good use of the beer and shots available and, seeing as they were nearer to Harry's, they'd caught a cab to his place, which was where they currently found themselves.

Neither had been able to keep their hands off the other, the fact that Zayn and Liam now knew about them, meaning they had nothing to hide – despite some of their friends' protests (except Niall, Jenny – who’d joined them – at his side, and Nick, who'd just drunkenly cheered them on, wolf whistles and all). But now that they were in the privacy of Harry's home, neither had wasted time in helping the other strip as they stumbled, giggling, after one another towards Harry's room, before both collapsed onto his bed.

Louis had at first protested that he should probably shower first, as he was still all gross and sweaty from running around after a ball on the field, but Harry had firmly refused, before pointedly licking a broad stripe up the side of his neck.

"You're so gross!" Louis protested, swatting at Harry, the gesture half-arsed at best.

Harry simply laughed, entirely unrepentant, before pulling Louis up flush against him, the full expanse of their naked skin pressed together, as Harry joined their mouths in a heated kiss, Louis melting all too willingly into him.

"Hmm," Louis hummed happily into the kiss, throwing one of his legs over Harry's hip, before then just shoving at his shoulder and rolling the taller man onto his back, so that Louis was now stretched out atop him. He then broke the kiss by nabbing Harry's full bottom lip between his teeth and pulling away until it popped free.

Harry just grinned dopily back up at him, his big hands sliding down the warm skin of Louis' back, before settling to cup his bum, his cheeks' firm roundness fitting perfectly in them. He couldn't resist then, Louis having leaned back down to kiss him some more, cheekily stretching his fingers out to lightly skate down the cleft of Louis' bum. The action caused Louis’ body to jolt slightly as he pulled out of the kiss to look down at Harry with blown pupils, the azure of his irises now only a thin ring around their darkness.

" _Ungh_ , fuck yes. Please tell me you have some lube and a condom," he groaned then, shifting to nuzzle against the crook of Harry's neck, sharp little teeth nipping affectionately at the skin there. "Wanna ride you."

Harry couldn't help but groan at the mere idea, as he reached over blindly with his long arms towards his bedside table drawer, his head thrown back against the pillows to open himself up to Louis who'd proceeded to start sucking kisses along the muscled cords of his neck. After a bit of awkward fumbling and pulling something in his arm, he eventually managed to get his hand on the lube and a strip of condoms, which he then dumped on the bed beside them.

Louis then sat up, straddling Harry's thighs and grinning rather smugly at the dazed expression on the other man's face, before grabbing the condoms and stripping one off, which he then ripped open and wasted no time in rolling onto Harry's rather sizeable and already twitching cock. Louis couldn't resist then running his hands up Harry's torso, relishing in the feel of his toned muscles and soft skin, while his eyes greedily took in the site and the ink which decorated his body.

"Jesus, look at you, you're like a freaking Greek god," he said, more to himself, as his eyes then trailed up to look at Harry's flushed face, his dark waves of hair fanned out on the white pillowcase beneath him.

Harry chuckled dazedly in response, reaching for the lube and popping the cap to get his fingers properly slick. Not needing any encouragement, Louis simply spread his thighs wider, where they were straddled either side of Harry’s.

The first breach of a finger had Louis whimpering against Harry’s neck, making the other man worried that he’d somehow hurt Louis, but when he tried to pull his finger out again, Louis bit down on the muscle of his neck. “’M’fine, please, Haz.”

Grunting in understanding, Harry then proceeded to slowly finger Louis open, taking his time to add a second and then third finger, as he relished in the increasingly needy whines he was coaxing out of Louis, who at this point was left only panting hotly against the skin of Harry’s neck.

Louis had forgotten how much he enjoyed this and the sheer length and size of Harry’s incredible fingers was only making it all the more pleasurable, but it was getting to be too much and not nearly enough at the same time.

“C’mon, Haz, ‘m good,” he eventually managed reaching back to try swat Harry’s hand away, making Harry nod his head and carefully remove his fingers, resulting in a bit of a squelch which had Louis scrunching up his nose, before they both burst into a fresh wave of giggles.

“You’re so gorgeous, Lou,” Harry admired then when the giggles had subsided and Louis got in position, his fingers firmly wrapping around Harry’s dick and holding it in place, before he then slowly sunk down onto it, causing them both to moan.

It had been a while since Louis had bottomed (even if, technically, he was currently bottoming from the top, he still had a dick up his arse) and the feeling almost overwhelmed him at first, the initial mix of discomfort from being so impossibly full and the slight burn from the stretch, but then also the pleasure of it all as he began to adjust.

“ _Fuck_ , your dick’s freakin’ huge,” Louis eventually groaned, expression contorted and eyes screwed shut, when he’d fully seated himself, his bum now flush to Harry’s pelvis.

“You okay?” Harry asked in concern, his hands moving to rub comfortingly up and down Louis’ muscled thighs, before adding, “Also, why does it sound like that wasn’t exactly a compliment?”

“No, no, I’m, uh, I’m good,” Louis laughed breathily, his eyes opening and swallowing Harry up in their dark depths. “And sorry, it’s just been, well, a while since I, er, you know,” he then gestured between them with one hand, while he used the other to prop himself up, palm flat against Harry’s practically hairless chest.

“Fair enough,” Harry smiled, his ridiculously pretty dimples popping and calling out to Louis, who couldn’t help but reach out to brush his thumb along one, only making them deepen, Harry’s eyes practically sparkling at Louis, before Louis then just suddenly shook his head.

“Okay, no, needa move. Needa move.” His voice sounded affected and Harry couldn’t agree more, equally desperate for Louis to move now, the urge to thrust up into the insanely tight heat which currently surrounded him getting to be too much.

Louis didn’t waste any more time then, as he slowly raised himself up, Harry’s hands continuing to caress and smooth down along his straining thighs, his eyes becoming all the more mesmerised by the sight of Louis’ muscles working beneath his tanned skin, as he established a rhythm. He’d always had a thing for Louis’ legs. The action also brought his eyes to the sight of Louis’ bobbing (and undeniably pretty) cock, making him bite down on his bottom lip, overwhelmed with sensation from both touch and sight. Well, he’d always had a thing for Louis in general.

“God, you look so bloody hot,” Harry murmured, eyes dragging up Louis’ body hungrily, as his hips began to roll upwards to meet Louis’ downward movements, before resting on Louis’ pleasure contorted face.

Louis cracked back open a pretty blue eye to grin back down at Harry, both hands firmly planted on the other man’s chest, where a fine sheen of perspiration had begun to build up. “You look pretty damn hot yourself, love,” he replied, before a loud moan escaped from his kiss-swollen lips, as Harry’s cock dragged against his prostate ever so deliciously. “Don’t think I’ll be able t‘last much longer, ‘m afraid.”

Harry could have told as much himself, just from looking at the way Louis’ legs had begun to tremble while he lifted himself, before plunging back down on Harry, and he’d have been lying if he said he couldn’t already feel his own orgasm beginning to build up, the warm sparks and tingling already starting from the base of his spine.

“Let me help you then,” Harry suggested, spurred on by Louis’ straining thighs and increasingly clumsy movements, before moving his hands to support Louis’ hips and then just rolling them, so that he could be on top. “Let me take care of you, Lou.”

“M’kay, yeah,” Louis nodded dopily back, jaw slack and panting, as the new position had Harry’s dick driving into him at a different angle.

Harry’s dark hair hung around their faces like a curtain, seemingly shutting out the rest of the world and leaving them to their own little one, their eyes focused on one another and nothing else.

Harry smiled down at Louis, before joining their lips, as he began to lead the pace, adjusting his thrusts so as to make as much contact with Louis’ prostate as possible, which, judging by the breathy gasps and loud moans the other man was making, he was doing successfully.

Louis’ hands clutched at his shoulders and back and sides, it felt like his hands where all over Harry at once, like he couldn’t get enough of the feel of him, while his legs came up to wrap tightly around Harry’s waist, urging him on. He could feel the perspiration gathering at his temples and upper lip and at the base of his spine from the effort, as he desperately tried to maintain some semblance of a rhythm, which was becoming increasingly difficult to do.

“Cl-close, fuck, Haz. ‘m so close,” Louis panted around Harry’s lips, which just moved to thoughtlessly press and suck kisses along Louis’ jaw, earning him yet more breathy moans, Louis voice becoming all the more high in its pitch, while his blunt nails sunk into the muscled flesh of Harry’s broad back.

Groaning against Louis’ skin, his lips feeling even rawer now thanks to the other man’s messy scruff, Harry moved to wrap a hand around the thick base of Louis’ cock to gently squeeze, before dragging his palm over his slick head and then returning to begin pumping him. “Your dick’s pretty big too, you know,” Harry couldn’t then help pointing out, the hot weight of it feeling good in his palm.

“Fuck, Harry, let’s not compare dicks right now, yeah,” Louis groaned, “Don’t care right now. All’s’I know’s you feel, fuckin’ good right now. _Fuck_. Oh, _God_ , yes, _ungh_.”

Harry could feel Louis’ dick practically throbbing in his hand, before he was suddenly coming, warm wetness spilling over Harry’s fist and their stomachs, as his fingers no doubt left bruises on the skin of Harry’s back. He couldn’t care less though, he’d happily wear them with pride.

“C’mon, H-Haz, come,” Louis panted beneath him, body still thrumming and urging Harry on. He didn’t need much encouragement, his hips long since having given up on any semblance of rhythm, as he pounded into Louis’ more than willing body, before he was then suddenly coming himself with a desperate moan of complete contentment and pleasure.

How had he ever gotten so lucky?

The question circled round his delirious mind, as he began to slowly come down, his body having collapsed atop Louis, who simply stroked his hands down Harry’s back soothingly, as he murmured away to himself, their chests heaving as their lungs tried to desperately pull in the oxygen they needed.

Pulling together some of his last remaining energy, Harry carefully then pulled out (Louis only cringing a little at the resulting ‘emptiness’), before tying the condom off and carelessly tossing it somewhere over the side of the bed to be dealt with later, he was just too fucked out right now. His head then returned to the somewhat clammy skin of Louis' shoulder, which he pressed a kiss to before nuzzling down against, his body also having moved to rather only lie partially on top of the other man so as not to completely crush him.

Louis hummed dreamily in response, one of his hands then coming up to lazily comb through Harry’s messy dark hair, while one of Harry’s own moved to absentmindedly draw patterns along the skin of Louis’ hip.

“Hmm, love you, H.”

Despite having already suspected as much, hearing Louis say the words aloud, brought an uncontrollably large smile to Harry’s face, as he leaned up a bit to now look down at Louis, whose own eyes were closed. His face was all flushed and toffee-coloured hair darkened by sweat, which also had his fringe more or less pasted against his forehead, while his parted lips were rather a bit red and swollen. He’d never looked more beautiful to Harry.

“Love you too, Lou.”

“Ah-huh, I know,” Louis smiled sweetly, as his eyes then fluttered open, their blue depths warm and calm, without a trace of the guarded iciness Harry had first encountered all those months ago when he’d started at the firm. Louis then reached out to cup Harry’s face. “You’re so pretty, Haz.”

“Yeah?” Harry asked, leaning into the touch.

“Yeah,” Louis nodded, running his thumb once more along Harry’s dimple when his smile widened. “Thank you.”

“Thank you?” Harry asked, not quite following Louis’ present train of thought.

“For taking the job. For coming to get me back. For fighting for us, even when I was a prick to you. Niall told me you took the job when you heard I worked for the firm, so that you could try ‘win me back’, I believe are the words he said you used,” Louis explained, sleepy smile growing when he saw comprehension dawn on Harry’s pretty face, those big iridescent eyes of his widening.

“Oh, he told you that?” Louis just nodded. Harry shook his head. “Well, you’re welcome then. I’m glad I did it – I get to be with you again. Thank _you_ for giving me that privilege.” Harry then turned his head to press a kiss to the palm of Louis’ hand, all the stress and chaos of the past few months more than worth it, now that he had Louis properly back.

Louis just laughed and shook his head, Harry moving to lie on his back beside Louis, too beat to hold himself up anymore. They both turned their heads to keep facing one another.

“You definitely earned it, besides, I don’t think many others could put up with my stubborn arse. I’m lucky to have you.”

“Well, it is a bloody great arse, stubborn or not,” Harry couldn’t help but point out, earning him an eye roll, which Louis’ massive grin completely ruined the effect of. Harry reached out to poke the tip of his nose and startled a tired giggle out of Louis.

“Love you.” Now that he’d said it, saying it again felt even better. Louis could easily get used to saying the words to Harry for the rest of his life and would most definitely do so happily.

“Love you,” Harry grinned back, the dopy smile spread on his own flushed face telling Louis that the same thing was most likely going through Harry’s head too.

“Good, ‘cause then you won’t mind getting me a wet cloth to clean me tummy with, it’s starting to itch,” Louis said, then bit his lip coyly and batted his lashes.

Harry laughed, not really surprised by the cheeky little manipulation, before sighing overdramatically and pulling himself up into a sitting position. “Fine, but then you’re making breakfast in the morning.”

“Ah, but, Harry, surely it hasn’t been so long that you don’t recall the pancakes I made for you that one year? I can assure you, no advances have been made in my culinary skills since,” Louis pointed out before stretching out his body with a yawn, only vaguely registering a slight twinge in his backside, which was only to be expected he figured, as he lazily watched Harry get up and stagger out the room to go and get that washcloth. He definitely enjoyed the sight of that long body with all its lovely pale skin and Harry’s cute little bum, his impossibly wild and messy sex hair only the cherry on top.

Louis’ heart felt light and impossibly warm now, a sensation he’d all but forgotten, as he lay stretched out on Harry’s bed and could hear the muffled sound of a tap running and what suspiciously sounded like Harry humming a song to himself in the bathroom next door. He couldn’t help the ridiculously fond smile on his face in response, as he let out a deep, contented sigh.

It felt like his life had come full circle – he’d been given another chance – except now his future held more promise than before. He was older and wiser than he’d been all those years ago, when Harry had walked out of his life, and vowed to himself in that moment, that he would not take this opportunity for granted. He would fight for what he and Harry so obviously shared. For, at the end of the day, it really had always just been Harry Styles for him, and no one else.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed reading!
> 
> Please feel free to come say hi to me on [tumblr](http://deadsupremacy.tumblr.com/) \- I'm always up for a chat or to make new friends! I also made a [tumblr post](http://deadsupremacy.tumblr.com/post/144816848670/move-on-back-to-me-by-pwoperninjaelf-pairing) for this fic if you liked it and want to share it.
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated! <3


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